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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corpomtion 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductiuns  historiques 

1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notec/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempt&d  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliograpiiique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


n 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagee 


D 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 


D 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pelliculde 


n 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul6es 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


D 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcolor^es,  tachet^es  ou  piqu^es 


□    Coloured  maps/ 
Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
ere  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


D 


Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachees 


QShowthrough/ 
Transparence 


□    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


□ 


Quality  of  print  varies/ 
J    Quality  in^gale  de  I'inipression 


D 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relie  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 


Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


□ 


D 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout^es 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  ^lait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdes. 


D 
D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalcment  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  film^es  it  nouveau  de  facon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu^  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Douglas  Library 
Queen's  University 


L'exemplaire  filmd  fut  reproduit  grSce  d  la 
g6n6ro8it6  de: 

Douglas  Library 
Queen's  University 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
ether  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  !e 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmcge. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  filmis  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Stre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichd,  il  est  filmd  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1  2  3 

4  5  6 


Al'l'KOACH     rO    CAVK     ()!•     THK     WINDS. 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS  OF 
THE  NORTH; 


HISTORICAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCHES    OE  THE  SCENERY  AND 
LIEE    IN    THE   VICINITY    OE    GEORGIAN    BAY,  THE    MUSKOKA 
LAKES,  THE  UPPER  LAKES,   IN  CENTRAL  AND  EASTERN 
ONTARIO,  AND  IN  THE  NIAGARA   DISIRICT, 


EDI'IKI)  ];\ 
GEORGE    MUNRO    (;RANT,    D.  D. 

yUEIiX's    IMVKKSITV,    KlNCiSTdN,   (INT. 


ILLUSTRATED    BY    WOOD  ENGRAVINGS    FROM    ORIGINAL    DRAWINGS 

BY  F.  HOPKINSON    SMITH,   F.  B.  SCHELL,  L.  R.  O'BRIEN, 

W.  C.   FITLER,  AND  OTHERS 


I 


CHICAGO 
ALEXANDER  BELFORD  &  CO, 

1899 


LP 


^lOlS-'QrliK? 


\. 


Copyright,  1899 
Bv  ALEXANDER  BELFORD  &  CO. 


^ 


V 


/ 


CONTENTS 


^1 


GEORGIAN  BAY  AND  THE  MUSKOKA  LAKES 

By  G.  MERCER  ADAM 


THE  UPPER  LAKES 


CENTRAL    ONTARIO 


EASTERN  ONTARIO 


NIAGARA  DISTRICT 


By  GEO.  A.  MACKENZIE,  B.  A. 


By  J.  HOWARD  HUNTER.  M.  A. 


By  PRINCIPAL  GRANT  and  MISS  A.  M.  MACHAR 


MISS  LOUISE  MURRAY 


PACK 

9 


53 


93 


129 


149 


17322? 


LAKK     COUCHlClllNG. 


GEORGIAN    BAY,  AND   THE    MUSKOKA    LAKES. 


TPHE  tendency  of  commerce  to  seek  the  water,  and  the  natural  incHnation  of  the 
settler  to  found  a  home  in  some  favoured  spot  on  the  wooded  shores  of  a  lake,  have 
been  important  factors  in  the  gradual,  though  as  yet  sparse,  settlement  of  the  Georgian 
Bay.  The  names  of  the  lakes  ami  the  bays,  the  streams  and  the  villages  of  this 
region  speak  of  a  like  craving  on  the  part  of  the  redman  for  the  eye-satisf)ing 
qualities  and,  to  him,  modest  utilities  of  both  still  and  running  water.  In  Nottawa- 
saga,  Couchiching,  Muskoka,  Penetanguishene,  and  many  other  Indian  appellatives,  as 
well  as  in  the  presence  here  and  there  of  lingering  remnants  of  the  great  Huron 
nation  by  which  the  region  was  once  peopled,  we  have  abundant  evidence  of  the 
attractiveness  of  this  section  of  Ontario  for  the  simple  children  of  the  forest  and  the 
stream.  Comparatively  recent  as  has  been  the  white  settlement  of  the  district,  the 
area  bounded  oii  the  north  by  the  River  Severn,  and  on  the  south  by  the  Nottawasaga 
River,  was  once  populous  with  the  lodges  of  the  Huron  tribe,  and  their  villages  and 
hunting-grounds,  in  a  fateful  era,  were  the  theatre  of  events  of  thrilling  interest  in  the 
annals  of   Canada. 

The  story  takes  us  back  to  the;  period  covered  by  tlu;  first  sixty  years  of  the 
Seventeenth  Century,  when  the  French,  English,  and  Dutch  were  severally  endeavouring 
to  make  good  their  foothold  on  the  continent.  ILarly  in  the  century  the  English  led 
off    in  the  colonization  of    Virginia ;    the    Dutch    established    their    posts    at    Manhattan 


ro 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


and  at  Orange  (Albany),  on  the  Hudson  ;  while  a  little  later  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  laid 
the  foundations  of  Massachusetts.  It  was  a  period  of  unrest  in  the  Old  World,  and 
its  adventurous  spirits  caught  the  contagion  of  founding  colonies  in  the  New,  and  of 
carrying  the  flag  of  commerce  or  the  standard  of  the  Church  into  the  western 
wilderness. 

Earlier  by  fifty  years,  Havre  had  seen  Huguenot  fugitives  from  religious  despotism 
go  forth  to  plant  in  Florida  a  Lutheran  F'rance,  alas  !  only  to  meet  extermination  at 
the  hand  of  Spanish  intolerance  and  lust  of  blood.  Contemporary  with  Champlain, 
and  aided  by  his  efforts,  the  Sieur  de  Monts,  another  Calvinist,  essayed  to  found  a 
home  on  the  inhospitable  banks  of  the  Ste.  Croix,  or  round  the  beautiful  harbour  of 
Annapolis.  But  this  effort  at  Acadian  settlement,  though  it  had  the  assistance  of 
Poutrincourt  and  the  historian  Lescarbot,  met  with  failure,  and  the  hopes  of  the  colony 
were  for  the  time  buried  in  the  ashes  of    Port  Royal. 

Champlain  himself,  however,  was  to  accomplish  great  things  in  the  New  World ; 
and  for  nearly  thirty  years  his  were  the  efforts,  and  his  the  zeal,  that  were  instrumen- 
tal, in  the  stern  devotion  of  the  times,  in  winning  souls  for  heaven  and  a  colony  for 
France. 

At  the  solicitation  of  the  Hurons,  who  were  anxious  to  secure  Champlain's 
co-operation  in  an  attack  upon  their  inveterate  enemies,  the  Iroquois,  he  had  set 
out  on  an  expedition  to  the  Huron  country,  desiring  at  the  same  time  to  extend  his 
explorations  and,  through  the  agency  of  the  Franciscan  Friars,  two  of  whom  accom- 
panied him,  to  carry  more  efficiently  into  the  wilderness  the  story  of  the  Cross.  Hence, 
in  1 615,  we  find  him  undergoing  a  toilsome  journey  up  the  Ottawa,  across  Lake 
Nipissing,  and  down  the  French  River,  till  he  came  upon  the  great  expanse  of  the 
inner  sea  of  Lake  Huron — la  Mer  Douce,  Champlain  called  it — thence,  coasting  south 
on  its  eastern  shore  till  he  reached  the  irregular  indentation  of  Matchedash  Bay. 
Here,  in  the  peninsula  formed  by  Nottawasaga  and  Matchedash  Bays,  and  skirted  on 
the  south  by  Lakes  Simcoe  and  Couchiching,  was  the  home  of   the  Wyandots. 

Though  comparatively  small,  the  Huron  country,  at  the  time  we  speak  of,  had  a 
population  variously  estimated  at  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  souls.  Indian  towns 
were  scattered  all  over  the  district,  to  the  chief  of  which,  after  disembarking  near  the 
site  of  the  present  village  of  Penetanguishene,  Champlain  was,  with  every  demonstra- 
tion of  delight,  conducted.  At  the  Huron  metropolis  of  Cahiaque,  not  far  from  where 
Orillia  now  stands,  Champlain  met  the  chiefs  of  the  Huron  Nation,  and  rejoined 
Father  Le  Caron,  who  had  preceded  him,  and  who  had  already  made  progress  in 
bringing  many  of    his  dusky  brethren  within  the  pale  of   the  Church. 

Now  was  planned  that  ill-starred  expedition  from  the  peaceful  shores  of  Lake 
Simcoe  that  was  designed  to  humble  the  Iroquois,  and  redden  the  lakes  and  streams 
of   Central  New  York  with  Seneca  blood.     But  though  the  spirits  of  the  Huron  braves 


OF   THE  NORTH 


1 1 


rose  with  the  war-dance;  and  the  feast,  and  though  Champlain  was  himself  to  lead 
them,  the  result  of  the  foray  was  discomfiture.  The  expedition  was  absent  from  the 
8th  of  September  to  the  close  of  the  year  (1615),  toiling  its  weary  way  by  Balsam 
Lake,  the  Trent  River,  and  the  Hay  of  Quinte,  thence  across  Lake  Ontario  to  the 
lair  of  the  Iroepiois.  Here  it  came  upon  the  fortified  encampment  of  one  of  the 
tribes  of  the  Confederacy,  against  which  it  failed  to  make  any  impression ;  and  the 
expedition  returned  in  sullen  mood,  leaving  a  heavy  reckoning  behind  it,  to  be  settled 
some  future  day  with   Iroquois  interest. 

Cham|)lain,  who  had  been  wounded  in  the  conflict,  returned  with  his  Indian  allies 
and  his  small  French  contingent  to  the  home  of  the  Hurons.  After  visiting  some  of 
the  towns  of  the  Tobacco  Nation  Indians,  and  e.xchanging  with  his  hosts  "pledges  of 
perpetual  amity,"  he  set  out  early  in  the  spring  over  the  circuitous  way  by  which  he 
had  come,  to  resume  his  duties  and  prosecute  his  arduous  mission,  in  the  half  monas- 
tic, half    military,  environment  of    the  high-perched  capital. 

For  nineteen  years  farther,  with  occassional  intermissions,  Champlain  was  yet  to 
guide  the  destinies  of  the  country,  and  to  battle  with  all  the  powers  of  evil  in  his 
consecrated  dual  work  of  champion  of  the  Faith  and  Governor  of  New  France.  It 
was  well  that  the  grave  closed  upon  him  ere  his  great  heart  knew  of  the  doom  tl  ,  r 
was  to  fall  upon  the  nation  among  whom  he  had  sojourned,  of  'C^&  martyrdom  in 
store  for  the  lion-hearted  priests  of  the  Church,  and  of  the  dire  consequences  of  his 
raid  in  concert  with  the  enemies  of  the  Iroquois.  The  banded  nations  of  that  confed- 
eracy were  invariably  the  "upper  dog"  in  the  brute  fight  with  the  Wyandot  or  the 
Algonquin.  With  or  without  pretext,  they  were  always  to  be  found  hrking  in  the 
vicinity  of    the  Huron  lodges,  and  woe  to  anything  human  that  became  t'.eir  prey  1 

We  have  seen  established  the  Huron  outpost  of  the  Church,  and  the  self-sacrificing 
zeal  of  Le  Caron,  who,  with  Champlain,  had  founded  it.  The  mission,  during  the 
years  1626-9,  had  had  the  benefit  of  the  devoted  labours  of  him  who  became  known 
as  "the  apostle  of  the  Hurons"  —  the  great-souled  and  giant-statured  Jean  de 
Brebeuf.  At  the  time  of  the  first  conquest  of  Quebec,  Brebeuf  was  recalled,  though 
five  years  afterwards  he  returned  to  his  charge,  accompanied  by  P^res  Daniel  and 
Davost — all  of  whom,  ere  long,  were  to  win  the  martyr's  crown.  Subsequently,  the 
mission  was  strengthened  by  the  arrival  of  Jogues,  Lalemant,  Gamier,  and  other  Fathers. 

It  may  safely  be  said  that  the  records,  secular  or  ecclesiastical,  of  no  country 
furnish  more  soul-stirring  accounts,  than  do  the  Relations  des  Jesuits,  of  self-sacrificing 
devotion  to  faith  and  duty.  The  constancy  of  the  apostleship  of  the  followers  alike  of 
St.  Francis  of  Assisi  and  of  Ignatius  Loyola,  not  alone  in  the  hour  of  mortal  peril, 
but  through  weary  years  of  toil,  discomfort,  and  discouragement,  may  well  extort  our 
reverential  homage.  The  story  is  full  of  terrible  episodes,  intermingled  v.'ith  a  narra- 
tive, in  its  humble  trust  ^nd  sinplicity,  almost  divine. 


12 


PICTURESQ I  r.  si>( )  /  ;v 


It  was  ill  1 6^4  that  Brc'lMuif  rctiiriicd  to  tin;  scene  of  l)is  aijostleship,  accompanied 
by  I'atliers  1  )aniel  ami  I  )avost,  who  made  their  way  ovt:r  ihi'  niiir  hiiiulrcd  niikrs,  with 
tliirty-five  portajfiis,  that  separated  the  h)iieiy  mission  from  ihi'  succour  ami  sympathy  of 
tlu!  brethren  at  Ouebec.  laieniie  Hrule,  Champlain's  adventurous  interpreter,  havinff 
been  murdered  by  the  Indians  in  Hn'ixnif's  absence,  and  llie  old  mission  nl  I  oanchd 
havinj;  in  conse(|iienc(,'  been  desc  d,  the  bathers  now  sought  the  new  iluron  town  of 
Ihonatiria,  just  back  of  the  north-, vest  basin  of  I'enetanj^uishene  I5a\,  ami  there  estab- 
lished the  mission  of  .St.  Joseph.  Here  the  pri(,'sts  laboured  incessantly,  but  with 
indifferent  success,  until  they  could  ac(|uire  the  lluron  tongue.  I'',vin  when  that  had 
been  .iccomplished,  the  prospects  of  the  mission  were  still  iloublful,  for  the  white 
men,  i_;arl)ed  in  blacU,  who  had  com<:  anioni.;-  them,  and  who  at  lirsl  hail  been  received 
with  minified  awe  and  curiosity,  were  now  accused  of  sorcery  and  of  incantations 
that  showed  their  black  work,  it  was  said,  in  the  pestilence  that  had  broken  out  among 
the    I  lurons. 

In  th('ir  distress  and  disappointment,  if  the  b'athers  could  not  work  miracles,  they 
could  at  least  pray,  labouriously  maintain  the  offices  of  tht;  Church,  ami  by  the  example 
of  their  saintly  lives  manifest  the  spirit  of  their  relij.(ion  and  the  ardour  of  their  faith. 
.So  the  weary  years  went  on,  amid  outbreaks  of  pestilence  and  famine,  alternating  with 
forays  into  the  Iroipiois  country,  the  torturing  of  captives,  and  even  the  cannibalism 
which  they  sometimes  compelled  the  dismayed  priests  to  witness.  With  much  that  is 
traditionally  noble  about  them,  the  aborigines  of  America  were  a  tilthy,  brutalized,  antl 
malignant  race.  Yet  th(;  following  war-song,  quoted  by  Garni'au,  in  his  chapter  on 
"  The  Aboriginal  Nations  of  Canaila,"  is  enough  to  give  them  a  rank  above  that  of 
the  mere  savage: — "O  places  which  the  sun  Hoods  with  his  light,  and  the  moon  illumi- 
nates with  her  paly  torch  ;  places  where  verdure  waves  in  the  breeze,  where  runs  the 
limpid  stream  and  the  torrent  leaps;  take  witness,  ()  earth,  and  ye  heavens,  that  we 
are  ready  everyone  to  encounter  our  foes.  *  *  *  The  war-clubs  we  snatch  from 
enemies  shall  testify  to  our  surpassing  valour.  The  scalps  we  tear  from  their  prostrate 
heads  will  ornament  our  huts.  Our  door-lintels  we  shall  redden  with  the  blootl  of  our 
prisoners.  Timid  in  captivity,  as  feeble  in  combat,  we  shall  cause  them  to  perish  by 
slow  torturings  ;  and  when  life  has  tied  their  mutilated  frames,  we  shall  burn  them  up 
and  scatter  their  ashes  to  the   four  winds  of    heaven." 

The  invocation  might  be  breathed  by  the  inspired  in  heaven  ;  the  rest  could  only 
come  from  the   mouth   of    devils. 

The  Jesuit  Fathers,  surrounded  by  peril  on  all  sides,  now  determined,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  concentrate  their  force  in  one  central  station,  "  to  serve  as  a  fort,  maga- 
zine, hospital,  and  convent,"  and  be  a  safe  base  of  operations  for  other  .sections  of  the 
peninsula.  The  site  of  th..  nev/  station  (Sainte  Marie)  was  on  the  border  of  what  is  now 
known  as  Mud   Lake,  an  expansion  of    the    little    River    Wye,  and    about    a    mile    from 


or  riiH  NORTir 


n 


SKETCHES    AT     MEAFORD. 


where  it  enters  Gloucester  Ray,  an  inlet  of  Matchedash.  Here,  for  ten  years,  the 
Church  had  its  stronghold,  some  trace  of  which,  after  the  lapse  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years,  is  yet  visible.  It  had,  moreover,  been  strenj^^thened  by  soldiers,  occasionally 
despatched   from  Quebec,  as  an   escort  to  the  Fathers,  and  for  a  defence  of    the   mission 


14 


PICT  UR ESQ  UH  SPO  TS 


•i 


OF   THE  NORTH 


»5 


* 


when  in  jeopardy.     Of   the  interior  life  of    the    mission,  and    the    pious    men    who    con- 
ducted it,   Parkman  has  given  us  a  graphic  sketch : — 

"  It  was  a  scene  that  might  recall  a  remote,  half  feudal,  half  partriarchal  age, 
when,  under  the  smoky  rafters  of  his  antique  hall,  some  warlike  thane  sat,  with  kins- 
men and  dependants  ranged  down  the  long  board,  each  in  his  degree.  Here,  doubtless, 
Ragueneau,  the  Father  Superior,  held  the  place  of  honour;  and,  for  chieftains  scarred 
with  Danish  battle-axes,  was  seen  a  band  of  thoughtful  men,  clad  in  a  threadbare  garb 
of  black,  their  brows  swarthy  from  exposure,  yet  marked  with  the  lines  of  intellect 
and  a  fixed  enthusiasm  of  purpose,  Here  was  Bressani,  scarred  with  firebrand  and 
knife ;  Chabonel,  once  a  professor  of  rhetoric  in  France,  now  a  missionary,  bound  by 
a  self-imposed  vow  to  a  life  from  which  his  nature  recoiled ;  the  fanatical  Chaumonot, 
whose  characte-  savoured  of  his  peasant  birth, — for  the  grossest  fungus  of  superstition 
that  ever  grew  under  the  shadow  of  Rome  was  not  too  much  for  his  omnivorous 
credulity,  and  miracles  and  mysteries  were  his  daily  food  ;  \  ct,  such  as  his  faith  was, 
he  was  ready  to  die  for  it.  Garnier,  beardless  like  a  woman,  was  of  a  far  finer  nature. 
His  religion  was  of  the  affections  and  the  sentiments;  and  his  imagination,  warmed  with 
the  ardour  of  his  faith,  shaped  the  ideal  forms  of  his  worship  into  visible  realities. 
Brebeuf  sat  conspicuous  among  his  brethren,  portly  and  tall,  his  short  moustache  and 
beard  grizzled  with  time, — for  he  was  fifty-six  years  old.  If  he  seemed  impassive,  it 
was  because  one  overmastering  principle  had  merged  and  absorbed  all  the  impulses  of 
his  nature  and  all  the  faculties  of  his  mind.  The  enthusiasm  which  with  many  is  fitful 
and  spasmodic  was  with  him  the  current  of  his  life, — solemn  and  deep  as  the  tide  of 
destiny.  The  Divine  Trinity,  the  Virgin,  the  Saints,  Heaven  and  Hell,  Angels  and 
Fiends, — to  him,  these  alone  were  real,  and  all  things  else  were  nought.  Gabriel 
Lalemant,  nephew  of  Jerome  Lalemant,  Superior  of  Quebec,  was  Brebeuf's  colleague 
at  the  mission  of  St.  Tgnace.  His  slender  frame  and  delicate  features  gave  him  an 
appearance  of  youth,  though  he  had  reached  middle  life  ;  and,  as  in  the  case  of 
Garnier,  the  fervour  of  his  mind  sustained  him  tiirough  exertions  of  which  he  seemed 
physically  incapable.  Of  the  rest  of  that  company,  little  has  come  down  to  us  but  the 
bare  record  of  tiieir  missionary  toils  ;  and  we  may  ask  in  vain  what  youthful  enthus- 
iasm, what  broken  hope  or  faded  dream,  turned  the  current  of  their  lives,  and  sent 
them   from  the  heart  of    civilization   to  tiiis  savage  outpost  of    the  world." 

But  we  approach  the  period  when  desolation  was  to  sweep  over  these  Wilderness 
Missions.  On  the  4th  of  July,  164S,  tlie  storm  burst  on  the  frontier  town  of  St. 
Joseph  (Teanaustaye),  five  leagues  distant  from  Sainte  Marie,  and  not  far  from  the  present 
site  of  Barrie.  Mass  had  just  been  celebrated  in  the  mission  chapel  by  Pere  Daniel, 
and  his  devout  flock  still  knelt  at  their  devotions.  Suddenly  the  cry  of  "  The 
Iroquois ! "  was  shouted  by  the  loungers  on  the  palisades  that  surrounded  the  village, 
and  froze  on  the  lips  of    the  womjn  as  they  leapt    from    their    knees  in    the    sancfiary. 


t6 


Pit TURESQUE   SPO TS 


Most  of  the  Huron  warriors  were  absent  at  the  chase,  or  off  on  a  trading  expedition 
to  the  French  settlements.  The  woUish  dogs  that  hiy  asleep  round  the  lodges  crept  in 
fear  to  a  hiding-place.  Succour  there  was  none.  The  palisade  was  quickly  forced. 
"Brothers,"  cried  Father  Daniel,  "  to-''':y  we  shall  be  in  heaven!"  Immersing  his 
handkerchief  in  a  l)()wl  of  water,  he  shook  it  over  his  panic-stricken  congregation,  and 
baptized  them  in  the;  name  of  the;  Triune.  His  own  hour  had  come  !  Wrapping  his 
vestments  about  him,  he  strode  to  tiie  door  of  th'j  church,  where  a  shower  of  arrows 
perforated  his  robes  and  a  musket  ball  tore  the  way  to  his  heart.  Gashed  and  hacked 
by  Irocjuois  tomahawks,  his  body  was  tlung  into  the  church,  and  the  latter  set  tire  to. 
The  village  itself  was  soon  a  heap  of  ashes  ;  and  of  its  two  thousand  inhabitants  all 
were  slain  save  one  or  two  fugitives.  Of  the  three  other  principal  Missions,  Sainte 
Marie,  the  most  inland  from  the  southern  borders  of  the  Huron  territory,  was  the  only 
one  to  escape.  On  the  15th  of  March,  1694,  a  thousand  Iroquois  crossed  the  frontier, 
and  before  daylight  on  the  following  morning  had  stealthily  crept  within  the  enclosures 
of  St.  Ignace.  Its  wretched  inhabitants,  some  four  hundred  in  number — chiefly  women, 
old  men,  and  children — ^were  asleep  and  unsuspecting  of  danger.  The  onslaught  was 
as  swift  as  it  was  remorseless.  A  few  minutes  fell  play  with  the  hatchet  sufficed  to 
take  the  place  captive.  Three  only  escaped,  but  fortunately  they  were  able  to  give 
the  alarm  at  the  ne.xt  mission-post  of  St.  Louis.  Here  were  the  Jesuit  Fathers, 
Brebeuf  and  Lalemant.  Before  sunrise  here,  too,  were  the  Iroquois.  Apprised  of 
their  coming,  many  of  the  inhabitants  made  good  their  escape  to  Sain*^e  Marie, 
though  some  eighty  warriors  stood  by  the  dc;fences  and  thrice  beat  back  their 
assailants.  The  Hurons,  brought  to  bay,  fought  with  desperation ;  but  their  invaders 
were  ten  times  their  number.  Crushing  down  the  palisades,  they  poured  into  the 
village,  captured  the  ministering  Fathers  and  the  surviving  defenders,  and  gave  the 
place  to  the  tlames.  Brebeuf  and  Lalemant,  stripped  and  bound,  they  carried  off,  with 
the  unwounded  of  the  Hurons,  to  .St.  Ignace,  where,  as  I'arkman  tells  us,  "all  turned 
out  U}  wreak  their  fury  on  the  two  priests,  beating  them  savageh'  with  sticks  and  clubs 
as  they  drove  them  into  the  town." 

For  the  two  priests  the  end  now  drew  near.  Brel)euf,  bound  to  a  stake,  was 
scorched  from  head  to  foot  ;  his  lower  lip  was  cut  away,  and  a  heated  iron  thrust  down 
his  throat.  .\  collar  of  red-hot  hatchets  was  next  luing  round  his  neck  ;  and,  in  travesty 
of  the  rite  of  baptism,  kettlesful  of  l)oiling  water  were  poured  over  his  head.  Not  flinch- 
ing under  this  torture,  the  Irotpiois,  enraged,  cut  strips  of  (lesh  from  his  limbs,  scalped 
him,  tore  out  his  heart,  devoured  it,  and  drank  his  l)l()()d.  Lalemant,  physically  unable 
to  manifest  the  same  fortitud(;,  had  strips  of  l)ark,  smeareil  with  pitch,  bound  to  his  naked 
body  and  set  tire  o.  Half  roasted,  he  was  tlung  into  confinement,  tortured  a  whole 
night,  and  finally  kdled  with  tlu;  hatchet  of  an  Iroipiois  who  had  grown  weary  of  his 
protracted  pastime.      To  the  martyr  missionaries,  in  such  plight,  was  heaven  opened. 


OF   THE  NORTH 


17 


The  other  prisoners  met  a  speedier  death.      Brained  with  the  hatchet,  or    bound    to 
stakes  bes.de  the  locl^^es,  they  peVished   in   the  Hames  that  wrapt  the  viUage.      Some  few 
escaped,  but  so   mutilated  or  scarred   by  the  fagot  that  tiiey  were   unable  to  reach  succour 
and  d,ed  in  the  wintry  woods.      The    inmates  of    Sainte   Marie   were  kept  in    agonies  oi 
suspense.      Praying  and  keeping  guard,   they  hoped  that   Iroquois  thirst  for  blood  would 
be  slaked,  and   that  they  might  not  !„•  included   in   the  common  ruin.      Refugees  from  the 
other    vdlages     were     meanwhile     massing    round     the     fort.    and.    taking     coura^.-     the^• 
now   became  the  attacking  party.      Two    hundred    Iroquois   warriors   presently  Tdvanced 
on  Sanue    Marie,  and    these    the    Hurons    fell    upon.       The    Iroquois    were    r'outed.    and 
fled    for    shelter    to    St.     Louis.       Thither    the    Hurons    pursued    th.m.    and     they     then 
made  for  St.    Ignace.      Here,  stung   by      their    losses,  they  threw    themselves    like  f.ends 
>-lx>n  their  assailants.      The  latter    fought    with    fierce  courage,   and    ere    long    the    blood 
of   a  hundred   Iroquois  braves  stained  the  snow.      Victory  fell,   however,   to   the   invaders 
though  at  such   cost  as  to  incite   them   to  withdraw  from   the  territory.       Hefore    leavin-' 
,     "they    planted    stakes    in    the    bark    houses    of     St.    Ignace.  and    boun.l    to    then.    tho:e 
of   the.r    prisoners    whom    they    meant    to    sacrifice,    male    and    female,   from    old    a-e    to 
■nfancy,   husbands.   n.others.  and    children,   side    by  side.       Then,   as    the^•   retreated;\hey 
set    the    town    on    hre,   and    laughed    with    savage    glee    at    the    shrieks  'of   anguish    that 
rose  from  tJie    blazing  dwellings." 

There  is  but  one  more  chapter  to    recount    in    this    Iliad    of     woe.      What    wonder 
after    the    harrow    had    past    over    the    homes    and    shrines    of     the     tribe,    that    the    feJ 
remam.ng  lost  heart  and   looked   for  refuge  anywhere   but   in  the  places  that  once    knew 
the-"!      Like  the  dispersed  of    Israel,   they  sat  by  the  waters  and   wept.       Nor  could  the 
bereft   pr.ests  give  them  aught  of    cheer,   for  the  iron,   too.   had  entered   into  the  soul  of 
each  remaining  missioner.     All.   however,   were  of    one  n.ind.   that  in    flight  Lu-  the  con, 
mon  safety.      The  first    thought    was    to    remove    to    the    Grand     Manitoulin   '  but    with 
touchmg  pathos,  the   Hurons    begged  that  they    should  seek  an   island  nearer  the  -'-raves 
o    then-  kindred.      The  resort  finally  was  to   Isle   St.   Joseph,   or,   as   it   is  now    known,    to 
Chnst.an   Island,  off   tlu.  north-west  point  of    the   Matchedash    Peninsula.       Sainte    M.rie 
was    d.smantled    and    abandoned  ;     and    on    rafts    all    set     out     for    their    island     refuse 
H.ther,   from  cape  and   islet,   drew   the  fugitives;    and   for  their  support  the  new    mission 
was  ta.xed  to  its  utmost.      Despair  sat   upon  each   face,   despondency  was  in  every  heart  • 
but    provs.on    had    to    be    made    for    the    coming    winter,  and    some    little    clearing-    was 
attempted  and  corn   planted.      The    few.   only,   had    strength    to    labour,   and    the    h^lrvest 
^^as  scanty;    yet  s,x  or  eight  thousand  had    to    be    fed,   and    by  spring    the  dole    of    the 
m.ss.on  was  reduced  to   roots  and    acorns.      With   famine,   in    stalked   the  pestilence,    and 
IK-    httle    corn-clearing    became    a    charnel    pit.      But    death    was  not  the  only  enemy  to 
l^eep  at  bay;    for  round  the    ill-fated    island    hovered    the    Iroquoi.s.      During 'the    winter 
there  ha.I  been  raids  upon  the   asylums    of    the    neighbouring    Tobacco    Nation    Indians 


i8 


PICTURESQ  UH   SPO  TS 


and  there  Fathers  Garnier  and  Chabonel  had  met  their  doom.  Of  the  cooped-iip 
colony  thousands  had  died,  and  all  had  given  up  hope.  Those  that  had  any  life  left 
must  yet  seek  a  more  distant  refuge.  The  treacherous  ice  -vas  still  in  the  channel,  and 
bands  essayed  to  cross  to  the  mainland.  Escaping  one  peril  they  fell  into  another. 
Those  that  reached  the  shore  fell  a  prey  to  the  Iroquois.  Only  one  was  known 
to    escape. 

In  this  deadly  war  of  extermination  how  fared  it  with  the  missionaries?  For  a 
generation  they  had  been  the  witnesses  of  an  internecine  strife  almost  without  a  paral- 
lel. They  knew  that  the  Huron  brave  was  not  without  courage,  but  they  saw  that  in 
every  contest  he  was  overmatched  by  the  panther-stealth  and  brute  force  of  the 
Iroquois.  Each  year  saw  the  Hurons  decimated  and  the  tribe  remorselessly  being 
wiped  out.  The  hope  they  hatl  once  cherished  of  establishing  a  permanent  mission  in 
the  country  had  long  since  been  dashed  to  the  ground.  Fishers  of  the  souls  of  men 
they,   too,   had  become  the  hunted  of    beasts. 

Another  week  i)assed  over,  and  more  of  the  Hurons  essayed  to  make  the  main- 
land, but  met  the  same  dire  fate.  To  stay  on  the  island  was  to  die  of  famine;  to  go 
was  to  meet  a  worse  death.  A  few  stole  off  to  become  merged  in  neighbouring  tribes; 
some  sought  refuge  among  the  Neutrals  and  Eries ;  ami  \.\w.  more  shrewd  threw  in 
their  lot  with  the  far-off  Andastes.  There  was  yet  a  residue,  and  whith(!r  should  they 
go?  Over-reached  cunning  was  soon  ti^  throw  light  on  the  question  and  make  escape 
possible.      It   occurred   in   this  wise  : — 

A  Huron  chief,  with  a  few  of  the  tribe,  one  day  fell  into  an  ambuscade  on  the 
mainland.  As  tiiey  prepared  to  defend  themselves,  the  Irocjuois  called  out  that  they 
were  among  friends,  and  that  their  nation  wished  to  conciliate  the  remaining  Hurons 
on  the  island,  and  ha\e  them  go  back  with  the  Iroquois  to  their  country.  The  Huron 
chief,  concealing  his  distrust,  received  the  proffered  wampum,  and  accepted  their  com- 
mission to  open  negotiations  for  peace  with  his  kinsm(Mi.  Accompanied  by  one  or  two 
of  the  Iroquois,  he  returned  to  Isle  St.  Joseph  and  ostentatiously  spread  news  of  the 
armistice.  A  council  of  chiefs  was  instantly  called,  and  the  Iroquois  overtures  were 
gravely  discussed.  The  leading  men  of  the  Hurons  were  secretly  apprised  that  the 
Iroquois  meant  only  to  entrap  them.  Concealing  their  knowledge  of  this  from  the 
envoys,  they  gave  assent  to  the  proposal  that  both  tribes  should  bury  the  iuitchet  and 
smoke  the  pipe  of  peace.  Before  setting  out  for  the  Irocjuois  country  they  feigned  the 
desire  to  confer  with  more  of  the  Iroquois  Chiefs,  and  asked  that  a  large  delega- 
tion of  them  siiould  cross  to  St.  Joseph.  Not  dreaming  that  the  Hurons  had  suspicion 
of  their  designs,  they  fell  in  with  the  proposal,  and  a  considerable  number  joined  the 
council.  At  a  given  signal  the  whole  were  slaughtered,  and  the  Iroquois  on  the  main- 
land, quickly  divining  the  situation,  rose  in  a  panic  and  fled.  Now  was  the  opportunity 
for    the    mission  !      All    instantly  got    ready,  manned    the    canoes,  bade    farewell    to    the 


OF   THE  NORTH 


19 


cooped-up 
y  life  left 
annel,  and 
)  another, 
as    known 

>  ?  For  a 
It  a  paral- 
i\v  that  in 
J  of  the 
sly  being- 
mission  in 
s    of    men 


the 


main- 


le  ;  to  _t,ro 
ng  tribes ; 
threw  in 
oiild  they 
•ce    escape 

on  the 
lat    they 

Hiirons 
e  Huron 
eir  com- 
e  or  two 
s  of  the 
res  were 
tliat  the 
rom  tlie 
het  and 
^ned  the 

ielega- 
uspicioii 
ncd  the 
ic  inain- 
ortunity 

to    the 


I 

I 

I 
% 


I 


IN     THK     INSH^K     CHANNKI,,     OEORdlAN     HAY. 


island,  and  jiaddled  off  to  the  north.  Keepintj  to^^ether  for  safety,  for  days  they 
threaded  the  islands  of  the  Georj^ian  Ba)',  and  finally  reached  the  I'Vench  River.  From 
here  they  crossed  Lake  Nipissing,  and  in  time  arrived  at  the  Ottawa.  Descending  this 
great  water-way  to  comparative  civilization,  they  reached  the  junction  of  the  Grand 
River  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  rested  for  a  while  at  Yille  ^Lirie.  As  th<!y  came 
hither  they  met  Hressani  and  a  relieving  expedition  going  up  to  strengthen  the  mis- 
sions. It  was,  however,  too  late  ;  and  joining  Ragueneau's  |>arty  they  returned  to  the 
settlements.     /Vt  Montreal  the  Iroquois  wolves  were  still  on  the  trail  for  blood,  and  the 


ao 


PICTURESQUE   SPO 7'S 


Hiirons  would  not  hv. 
assured  of  safety  un- 
til tliey  could  see 
Quebec.  Thither  they 
all  set  out,  and  on 
the  twenty-eighth  of 
July,  1630,  attained 
rest  and  succour  at 
the  capital. 

With  the  decima- 
tion of  the  Hurons 
and  the  abandonment 
of  their  country,  the 
heroic  story  of  the 
French  Missions  in 
this  ])art  of  the  wil- 
ilerness  summarily 
closes.  It  is  a  story 
sublime  in  its  reccjrd 
of  suffering,  peril,  ami 
death.  After  the 
lapse  of  over  two 
centuries,  almost  all 
memory  of  the  terri- 
ble events  we  have 
described  has  passed 
from  even  the  Cana- 
dian mind.  Nature 
herself  seems  to  have 
forgotten  the  tragedy, 
for,  as  the  historian 
we  have  freely  quoted 
remarks,  "  the  forest 
has  long  since  re- 
sumed its  sway  over 
the  spot."  Only  to 
the  student  of  his- 
tory, the  antiquary, 
or    the    annalist,     has 


OF   THE  NORTH 


31 


the  drear  story  any  interest.  Even  the  settler  in  the  (hstrict  is  far  from  familiar 
with  the  by-gone  tale.  Modern  pioneering  in  the  region  where  the  events  occurred 
troubles  its  head  as  little  over  the  drama  as  it  concerns  itself  with  the  ravages  of 
Attila  or  the  invasion  of  the  Goths.  The  story  is  one  of  the  long  past ;  and,  having 
recalled  it,  we  may  recur  to  the  present. 

Now    we    come    within    the    range    of    living    history,    and    if    we    again    meet    the 
wayward  child  of   the  woods,  of    wiiom  our  narrative  has    been    so  full,  and    who,   fierce 


INDIAN     WOMEN     CARKVING     BEKIUKS     TO     MARKET. 


in  tattoo  and  war-paint,  was  the  one  disturbing  figure  in  th(;  heroic  age  of  Canada,  we 
shall  not  find  him  (juite  the  barbarian  he  was,  nor  retaining  in  himself  or  his  race  the 
war-like  instincts  which  heredity  might  be  expected  to  perpetuate.  Colonization  in  the 
modern  era  has  at  least  been  spared  the  work  of  fighting  devil.s.  The  settler  has  hatl 
to  subdue  Nature,  not  the  savage,  if  wild  beasts  have  at  times  venturctd  about  his 
clearing,  their  skins  have  been  worth  something;  and  if  he  was  not  himself  a  sports- 
man, he  could  relegate  the  task  of  keeping  vermin  at  bay  to  the  spring-gun  and  the 
trap.  His  chief  toil  was  not  tiie  extermination  of  animal  life,  but  the  clearing  a  hcjme 
for  himself  in  the  forest,  the  hewing  down  of  great  trees,  the  eradication  of  stumps,  the 
burning  of  brush,  and  tiie  turning  up,  draining,  and  seeding  of  the  soil.  In  this  was 
his  labour,  and  in  due  time  he  had  his  reward.  Where  was  once  a  realm  of  forest- 
wealth  and  tangled  growths  of  interlacing  boughs,  with  here  and  there  a  faintly  traced 
pathway  or  blazed  trail,  which  only  the  Indian  or  the  experienced  woodsman  could  find 
his  way  through,  there  arc;  clearings  now  open  to  the  sunlight,  fertile  farms  and  busy 
industries,  and  a  net-work   of    railroads,  highwavs,   and    other    means    of    communication, 


13 


ricri  'RF.SOl.  7:    SPO TS 


which  tap  tht-  lakes  at  all  points,  ami  brin^>^  hapi)ily  together  the  outer  antl  inner  world 
of  life,  work,  and  enjoyment.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  what  recent  years  have 
done  for  this  ilistrict,  in  i)rin(^ii\t,r  it  within  the  embrace  of  the  railway  system  of  the 
continent  ;  arul  on  all  sitlcs  there  is  talk  of  railway  extension,  of  farther  invasion  into 
the  old  realm  of  the  forest,  that  will  open  u])  lar<,re  ailditional  tracts  of  country  and 
vastly  increase  the  area  of    this  s^rri.'at   "  Land  of    Homes." 

It  is  not  qnile  thirt\-  years  since  the  first  railroad  was  hiiilt  to  connect  Lake 
Ontario  with  Lake  Huron  ;  and  now,  in  addition  to  the  "  Northern,"  which  was  the 
earliest  railway  entt^rjirise  in  the  Province,  we  have  to  the  east  of  it  the  "  Midland," 
extendinir  from  Port  Hope,  x'/'a  Lindsay,  Beaverton,  and  Orillia,  to  Gloucester  Bay,  in 
the  Matchedash  Peninsula,  and,  as  it  happtMis,  |)assin_(,r  the  very  site  of  the  old  Jesuit 
Mission  of  Sain^e  Marie.  On  the  west,  the  "Toronto,  (irey  <S:  Bruce"  is  seen 
stretching  its  long  iron  antennce  from  the  Provincial  capital  to  Owen  Sound.  The 
"  Northern,"  of  Toronto,  and  its  artery  of  connections  with  the  "  North-Western  "  of 
Hamilton,  tap  the  Georgian  Ba)'  at  Collingwood,  Meaford,  and  Penetanguishene,  and 
put  forth  a  shoot  round  the  southern  boundary  of  the  old  Huron  settlements  on 
Lakes  .Simcoe  and  Couchiching,  into  the  Free  Grant  lands  of  Muskoka  at  Gravenhurst, 
with  early  prospect  of  extension  northward  to  Lake  Nipissing  and  the  line  of  the 
"Canada  Pacific,"  and    north-west    to    Sault    Ste.    Marie    and    Lake    Superior. 

To  feed  these  railway  lines  there  is  not  only  the  rapidly  increasing  local  trade, 
and  the  lumber  industries  of  the  Georgian  Bay  and  adjacent  region,  but  there  is  the 
great  traffic  of  the  P'ar  West,  which  recent  years  have  marvellously  developed,  and 
which,  through  these  Northern  ports,  pours  its  tribute,  in  annually  extending  volume, 
into  the  lap  of  tin;  Province.  Besides  the  fleet  of  propellers  engaged  in  the  grain 
trade  between  Collingwood  and  Midlaml,  and  the  ports  of  Lake  Michigan,  there  are 
the  two  lines  interested  in  the  iron,  copper,  and  silver  ore  trade  of  Lake  .Superior  and 
in  the  immigrant  ami  general  carrying  trade  of  Prince  Arthur  and  Duluth,  viz.  :  the 
Collingwood  Line,  operateil  Ijy  tht;  Canada  Transit  Company,  in  connection  with  the 
Northern  and  North-Western  Railroad,  and  the  Owen  Sound  Steamship  Company,  run- 
ning in  direct  connection  with  the  Toronto,  Grey  &  Bruce  Railroad.  In  addition  to 
this  traffic  with  the  upper  lakes,  the  (ireat  Northern  Transit  Company  have  a  steamer, 
in  the  interest  of  tourists  and  sportsmen,  periodically  plying  between  Collingwood  and 
Penetanguishene  and  the  ports  of  Parry  Sound  and  French  River.  The  Muskoka  and 
Nipissing  Navigation  Company  have  also  an  excellent  steamboat  service  on  ihe  lakes 
of  the  Muskoka  region,  giving  access  not  only  to  the  picturescpie  and  loch-eaten 
districts  of  Muskoka  and  Parry  Sound,  but,  b)-  wAy  of  the  water  stretches  and  coloni- 
zation roails  beyond  the  Maganctawan,  to  tin;  solitudes  of  Lake  Nipissing  and  the 
more  silent  and  distant  waters  of    Hudson    Bay. 

With  the  enumeration  of    the  various    railway  and    steamboat    services  of    this   sec- 


OF    THE  NORTH 


n 


1 


4 


o 
< 


a 

D 


> 

X 

< 
< 

K 

H 
X 

U 
K 


C 
X 

Z 

D 
O 

t/3 

>■ 

< 
a. 


IS    sec- 


H 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


lion  of  Ontario,  it  would  be  unfair  to  overlook  the  laborious  jfovernincntal  and 
municipal  enterprises,  in  connection  with  the  construction  of  the  great  roadways  which 
preceded  the  railway  age,  and  gave  access  to  the  settlements  which,  since  the  Simcoe 
period,  have  one  after  another  sprung  up  in  this  part  of  the  Province.  In  point  of 
time,  the  first  of  those  was  the  work  of  the  Queen's  Rangers,  alluded  to  in  our 
Toronto  article,  the  construction  of  the  highway  called  after  Sir  George  Yonge, 
English  Secretary  of  War  in  1791,  the  period  of  Governor  Simcoe's  administration. 
This  road,  which  was  partly  in  the  line  of  the  old  Indian  trail  between  Lakes  On- 
tario and  Huron,  extends  from  Toronto  Harbour  to  tin  Holland  Landing,  where  conv 
munication  northward  is  had  by  the  Holland  River  to  Lake  Simcoe,  thence,  again  by 
road,  constructed  at  a  somewhat  later  date,  on  to  the  military  station  and  dock-yard  of 
Penetanguishene.  This  road,  which  surmounts  a  high  ridge  of  drift,  lying  roughly 
parallel  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  some  miles  back  from  its  shores,  was  first  settled  along 
the  Oak  Ridges  by  French  Royalist  refugees,  who  had  repaired  thither  after  the 
French  Revolution,  and  had  received  grants  of  land  from  the  British  government  of 
the  day.  To  the  north  of  this,  and  outside  of  the  region  long  known  as  the  Home 
District,  settlement  was  next  made,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Fort  Gwillimbury,  on  the 
Holland  River,  and  round  the  shores  of  Kempenfeldt  Bay,  by  military  and  naval 
officers,  who  were  pensioned  off  at  the  close  of  the  War  of   1812-15. 

This  band  of  settlers,  with  the  Scotch  colony  in  the  south-western  portion  of 
West  Gwillimbury,  formed  by  a  returned  draft  from  Lord  .Selkirk's  Red  River  settle- 
ment, by  process  of  evolution  and  immigration  to  the  region,  at  a  later  tlay  became  the 
nuclei  of  the  population  of  what,  after  the  founding  of  the  Municipal  system,  at  the 
period  of  the  Union  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Provinces,  was  known  as  the  county  of 
Simcoe.  These  good  people,  with  their  contemporaries  who  formed  the  line  of  settle- 
ment along  the  extent  of  Yonge  Street,  took  an  active  part  at  the  Rebellion  period  in 
the  "irrepressible  conflict"  of  the  time — on  the  one  side,  in  upholding  the  historical 
Family  Compact  and  its  doings,  or,  on  the  other,  in  siding  with  the  champions  of  popu- 
lar rights,  even  to  the  extent  of  sounding  the  trumpet  note  of  sedition.  But  neither 
into  the  political  contests,  nor  into  the  municipal  history  of  these  northern  counties,  can 
we  afford  to  go,  save  as  the  story  bears  on  the  opening  uj)  and  settlement  of  the 
region.  Even  the  record  of  social  and  industrial  progress  we  can  only  incidentally 
glance  at,  and  express  the  surprise  that  our  historians  are  doing  so  little  in  collecting 
the  gossip  and  ana  of  the  various  localities  of  the  Province,  whose  early  settlers 
have  a  story  of  heroism  to  tell  which  well  deserves  to  be  enshrined  in  the  country's 
annals. 

Besides  the  first  and  chief  artery  of  communication  from  the  Provincial  capital  to 
the  waters  of  Simcoe,  thence  through  the  townships  of  Vespra  and  Flos  to  Pene- 
tanguishene,  two    other    post-roads    were    early  opened    from    Kempenfeldt    B;,   ,  in    the 


OF   THE  NOR  77 r 


35 


direction  of  Colliiiyvvood.  These  were  the  Sunnidale  Road,  throuj^h  the  township  of 
that  name,  and  a  road,  due  west,  on  tlu!  Concession  line;  that  skirts  the  southern 
boundaries  of  tiie  townships  of  Vespra,  Sunnidale,  and  Nottawasa^a,  to  tiie  point  where 
it  intersects  what  is  termed  llurontario  Street,  which  runs  due  north  from  Oran^eville 
to  CoUinjjwond,  From  the  latter,  communication  is  had  westwanl  hy  the  Sydenham 
and  Saujreen  Koad,  7<ia  Meaford  and  Owen  Sound,  to  Lake  Huron.  On  tlu;  western 
side  of  the  hold  ridj^n;  that  extends  south-west  from  the  IMue  Mountains  at  Collinjf- 
wood,  by  way  of  Oranj^eville  and  Hamilton  to  the  Niaj^ara  River,  are  a  number  of 
main  jrravel  roads,  which  traverse  the  county  of  Grey,  and  give  access  to  its  principal 
villages,  ami  to  Owen  Sound,  the  county  town  and  chief  port.  Two  of  these  high- 
ways, the  (iarafraxa  antl  the  Toronto  and  .Sydenham  Roads,  were  surveyed,  the 
former  in  1S37,  anil  the  latter  so  recently  as  1S4S.  ICach,  within  tiu;  county,  is  about 
fort)'  miles  in  length.  Ihe  (iarafraxa  Road,  which  enters  tirey  at  Mount  I'orest,  on 
the  borders  of  the  county  of  Wellington,  runs  almost  due  north  through  Durham  and 
Chatsworth,  where  the  Sydenham  Road  joins  it,  to  Owen  .Sound.  The  Toronto  and 
Sydenham  Road  enters  the  county  al  its  south-east  angle,  and,  l)y  way  of  I'lesherton, 
close  by  which  are  the  Eugenia  I'^alls,  strikes  north-west  for  iIk;  count)'  town.  These 
roads  are  intersected  about  th(!  middU;  of  the  county  1)\'  Uu;  l)nrham  Road,  which 
runs  west  from  Harrie,  via  Singhampton,  Flesherton,  ami  l)urhani,  to  Kincardine  and 
Lake  Huron. 

The  Toronto,  Grey  &  Bruce  Railroad,  already  referred  to  in  connection  with  the 
railway  system  of  the  county,  runs  parallel  with  the  Toronto  and  Sydenham  [)ost-road, 
intersects  the  townships  of  Melancthon.  .\rtemesia,  ami  Holland,  and  reaches  Owen 
Sound  by  the  west<.'rn  borders  of  the  l()wnshi[)  of  .Sydenham.  The  Intlian  townships 
of  the  peninsula,  stretching  off  to  the  north-west  of  Owen  .Sound,  are  si^rved  b\-  the 
Wellington,  Grey  &  Bruce  Railway,  an  extension  of  wiiich  runs  north  to  Colpo\ 's 
Bay. 

With  this  glance  from  the  rear  at  the  principal  towns  of  the  Georgian  Bay,  the 
reader  will  be  prepared  to  accompany  us  round  the  shores  of  the  bay  ;  and,  placing 
himself  on  some  point  out  on  its  waters,  will  be  able,  with  his  face  southward,  to  note 
how  the  various  ports  on  this  inland  sea  have  for  their  chief  centre  anil  converging 
point  the  cai)ital  of  the  Province,  which,  in  the  successive  eras  of  its  progress,  aided 
the  construction  of  a  network  of  communication  to  these  northern  waters,  and,  in  ever 
increasing  measure,  thrills  it  with  the  pulsations  of  its  commercial  and  industrial  lift;. 
To  speak  of  what  was  once  a  distant  Toronto  to  an  old  settler  of  the  region,  is  to 
recall  to  his  mind  the  unbroken  forest  round  the  shores  of  the  bay,  with  all  the 
crudity  and  roughness,  as  well  as  the  stern  solitude,  of  the  first  settlement  period, 
when  steamships  and  locomotives  were  yet  in  the  woml)  of  time,  and  the  only  echoes 
of  the  place  were    the    scream  of    the    loon    and  the    occasional    click  of   the  woodman's 


a6 


I'li  /y  RF.sQUE  sj'o rs 


TOWiN     llAl.L     AND     MAKKICT,     UAKKIK 


axe.  Compared  with  that  period,  what  cheer  to  him  must  it  now  be  to  own  the 
hundreds  of  cleared  acres  that  smile  their  plenty  round  the  homestead  his  own  hands 
have  reared  ;  to  note  the  traffic  on  lake,  road,  and  rail  tiiat  passes  daily  before  his 
eyes  ;  to  have  towns,  mills,  churches,  school-houses,  and  the  doctor,  within  easy  reach 
of  his  dwellinjr,  with  nothing  to  vex  or  make  afraid,  save,  it  may  be,  the  itinerant 
book-hawker  or  nurseryman,  and  the  vote-hunting  politican.  Does  the  early  settler 
say  "that,  notwithstanding,  the  former  times  were  better  than  these?"  Then  he  but 
plays  a  prank  on  his  memory,  or  fails  to  put  in  the  scale  against  past  pleasures  the 
richer  life  of  the  present. 


OF   THE   NORTfl 


37 


tlu: 
amis 

his 

iach 

:rant 

ttler 

but 

the 


From  M"af()r(l,  in  the  county  of  (in-y,  to  Coilin^'wooil,  is  an  hour's  ride  by  rail. 
The  road  skirts  the  siiorcs  of  tlic  l)ay,  and  in  th(!  vicinity  of  Thornlniry  affords  a 
dcli^jhtful  j,dim|)s<!  of  tht;  hi^di  l)hirfs  of  tlic  Hhie  Mountains,  which  traverse  the  tovvn- 
shi|)  of  Collinjjwood  and  shoot  off  southward  throui^li  the  I'rovince.  Tliere  is  some 
nne  scenery  in  the  ncij^dihourliood  of  these  mountains,  wiuch  are  hirjjely  composeil  of 
nietamorphic  rock,  and  are  fissured  ami  hollowed  in  a  j^ruesome  manner.  Here  was  the 
home  of  tl\e  i'obacco  Nation ;  and  in  the  ^dens  ami  caves  of  the  region  the  hunted 
of  tile  trilx;,  no  doubt,  often  sought  refuge  from  the  Irotpiois.  Some  of  tht:  fissures 
ill  the  rocks  which  the  tourist  steps  over  are  a  hundreil  feet  deep.  In  tlu;  southern 
portion  of  till!  adjoining  townshij)  of  Nottawasaga,  the  Mad  Kivi-r,  a  tributary  of  the 
Nottawasaga,  pursues  its  headlong  and  erratic  course,  and  supplies  the  motive  power  to 
many  mills  ami  other  imlustries  in  the  villages  of  the  township.  The  other  streams 
are  the  Pretty  and  tht;  Mateau,  both  of  which  fall  into  Nottawasaga  Hay.  Throughout 
the  township  are  a  number  of  e.xcellent  sciiool-houses,  mostly  of  brick,  a  model  of  one 
of  which,  School  Section  No.  20,  was  on  view  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition,  and 
attracted  tiie  notice  of  th(;  representatives  of  foreign  governments,  some  of  whom  had 
copies  of  it  made.  From  the  character  p-hI  equipment  of  the  schooUhouses  of  the 
district,  we  would  infer  that  education  in   Nottawasaga  township  f-ires  well. 

But  we  now  arrive  at  Collingwood,  which  derives  its  name  from  the  great  edmiral. 
It  is  situated  on  Hen  and  Chickens  Harbour,  as  it  used  to  be  called,  from  a  group 
of  small  islands  of  that  name  a  short  distance  from  shore.  The  position  of  the  town 
is  not  attractive,  and  any  importance  it  has  is  ilue  to  the  fact  that  it  is  the  termi- 
nus of  the  Northern  and  North-Western  Railroad,  and  the  chief  port  of  departure  for 
the  steamers  on  the  Up[)(.T  Lakes.  Its  principal  local  traile  is  in  fish  and  lumber, 
and  in  the  latter,  particularly,  there  is  much  money  invested.  During  the  summer 
season  the  wharves  present  a  busy  spectacle,  in  the  going  and  coming,  the  loading  and 
unloading,  of  the;  various  craft  engageil  in  the  passenger  and  carrying  trade  of  the 
North-west.  Lofty  elevators  and  capacious  warehouses  give  facility  for  the  handling 
and  despatch  of  this  tiinuigh  tnule  ;  while  an  extensive  harbour  affords  accommodation 
for  the  mooring  and  transhipment  of  the  great  rafts  of  timber  that  come  down  from 
the  Algoma  and  Parry  Sound  inlets.  The  port  statistics  in  grain  of  a  single  season 
would  surprise  "  the  uncommercial  traveller,"  and  open  his  mind  to  the  wealth  of  the 
Occident.  The  tonnage  of  the  iron  ore  from  Lake  Superior  that  passes  this  port  in 
transit,  would  also  be  a  revelation  to  him  ;  and  the  shipments  annually  increase  in 
volume  and  in  value.  Collingwood  has  active  competitors  for  the  commerce  of  the 
West,  and  more  picturesque  towns  are  likely  to  snatch  from  it  the  tourist  trade. 

Of  the  Georgian  Bay  we  shall  have  more  to  say  farther  on,  particularly  of  the 
romantic  scenery  about  the  islands  of  Parry  Sound,  and  of  the  charming  inshore  ex- 
cursion from    the    Sound  to    Penetanguishene.       Meantime,  leaving    Collingwood,  let    us 


28 


PICrURESQ LIE   SPO  TS 


SCKNKS     AHOl'T     LAKK     SIMCOE. 


OF   THE  NORTH 


20 


run  down  the  "  North- 
ern," past  the  busy 
villages  engaged  in  the 
lumber  trade  of  Stay- 
ner  and  Angus,  to 
-■  Allandale    and      Harrie, 

2  where     we     shall     meet 

5  the     tourists    from    To- 

ronto bound  for  the 
Rluskoka  Lakes.  At 
the  pretty  station  of 
Allandale,  any  fine 
morning  during  the  months  of 
July,  August,  and  September,  one 
is  likely  to  meet  stray  pleasure- 
seekers,  or  famil\  or  camping 
parties,  with  tht;  ijitpcdiiuetita  of 
canoes,  camp-stores,  and  cooking 
utensils,  bouml  northward  for  a 
few  da^■s  or  weeks'  relaxation  in 
the  labyrinth  ot  waters  that  lill 
the  h(jllows  of  Muskoka.  With- 
in easy  hail  of  the  Provincial 
capital  there  is  no  trip  more  ile- 
ightful,  or  to  the  ove-'worked 
business  or  professional  man  more 
invigorating,  than  a  journe\-  north- 
ward to  the  high  latitudes  and 
changeful  scenes  of  Lakes  Mus- 
koka. Rosseau,  or  Joseph.  We 
here  name  these  waters  alone  of 
the  region,  simply  because  they 
are  most  reliably  served  l>y  the 
steamboats  on  the  lakes.  The 
district,  however,  is,  in  minia- 
ture, like  the  west  of  Scotland, 
minus  the  mountains  and  the 
heather,  a  lanil  of  lochs  and 
isles,  hills  and   dales,    and,    "  bar- 


30 


PICTURESQUE  S^OTS 


ring "    the    black  fly   and    the   mosquito,    a  veritable    paradise   for   the   devotees   of   the 
rod  and  gun. 

But  we  are  as  yet  some  hours  from  Paradise,  though  the  sheen  of  the  waters  at 
our  feet  beguiles  us  into  the  belief  that  we  are  within  its  portals.  The  view  from  the 
junction  at  Allandale,  of  Barrie  opposite,  the  long  sweep  of  Kempenfeldt  Bay,  and  the 
wooded  shores  of  either  side,  softly  receding  from  the  vision,  is  one  of  the  most  per- 
fect bits  of  Nature  the  Province  can  boast.  The  outlook  over  the  Dundas  Valley, 
and  that  from  the  heights  of  Queenston,  may  be  bracketed  with  it,  in  their  appeals  to 
the  artist  eye  and  the  poetic  instinct.  Barrie  has  already  been  introduced  in  our 
pages  in  connection  with  the  early  military  highway  from  Toronto  to  Penetanguishene. 
Its  town  records  begin  to  date  from  i8iy,  when  it  became  a  depot  for  military  stores 
for  posts  on  the  Upper  Lakes,  and  for  settlers'  supplies  in  the  neighbouring  town- 
ships.      In  its   annals  is    recorded    the  visit  of   the    ill-fated  Sir    John   I'Vanklin,  who,   in 


i 


S'.  EAMBOAT     LANDING,     OKM-LIA. 


1825,  made  a  halt  at  the  town  on  his  way,  by  this  overland  route,  to  the  regions  of 
the  Far  North.  Later,  by  a  couple  of  years,  John  Gait  accepted  its  as  yet  rough 
hospitalities  on  his  land-exploring  expedition,  in  the  interest  of  the  Canada  Company, 
to  Penetanguishene,  which  he  refers  to  as  "  the  remotest  and  most  inland  dock-yard 
that  owns  allegiance  to  '  the  meteor  tlag  of  England.' "  The  town  takes  its  name 
from     Commodore    Barrie,     who    commanded    a    British    naval    stjuadron    at     Kingston 


OF   THE  NORTH 


31 


during  the  War  of  1812-15.  At  this  period,  and  for  some  time  after,  the  military 
post  at  Barrie  was  protected  by  an  armed  schooner  on  the  Lake,  icept  in  commission, 
it  is  said,  by  a  family  of  U.  R.  Loyalists,  until  the  piping  times  of  peace  supplanted 
the  war-ship  by  the  non-belligerent  craft  of  commerce.  The  marine  history  connected 
with  Lake  Simcoe  and  the  county  town  is  really  more  interesting  than  that  of  Harrie 
itself ;  but  we  must  pass  it  by,  with  much  else  of  local  concern.  The  present-day 
aspect  of  the  town  is  singularly  attractive.  It  is  a  delightful  mixture  of  the  rus 
in  urbe,  and  its  residences  on  the  finely-wooded  ridge,  that  forms  the  background  to 
the  town,  have  an  Old  World  air  of  comfort  and  beauty.  It  has  the  advantages  of 
a  good  market,  a  handsome  town-hall,  a  court-house,  many  fine  churches,  a  collegiate 
institute,  with  an  able  teaching  staff,  and  an  excellent  model  school.  Its  citizens  have 
also  been  public-spirited  enough  to  lay  out  and  maintain  a  pleasure  park  ;  and  private 
enterprise  has  supplied  the  conventional  political  organs,  warranted  to  play  the  whole 
repertoire  of  party  tunes. 

At  Lake  Simcoe,  or,  if  desired,  at  Holland  Landing,  Bradford,  or  Belle  Ewart, 
the  tourist  can  launch  himself  on  the  waters  of  that  long  chain  of  lake  and  river  com- 
munication that  stretches,  by  devious  ways,  for  a  hundred  miles  or  so  northward. 
With  a  canoe  or  light-draught  sail  boat,  he  can  start  from  the  Holland  River,  cross 
Cooks'  Bay  and  Lake  Simcoe,  and  make  for  the  Narrows,  at  the  entrance  of  Lake 
Couchiching,  in  one  day's  paddling  or  sailing.  Resting  for  the  night  at  Orillia,  or,  if 
he  prefers  it,  on  some  island  or  point  of  land  in  the  neighbourhood,  another  day's 
journey  will  take  him  over  the  beautiful  waters  of  Couchiching,  and  down  the  wind- 
ings of  the  Severn  River,  say  as  far  as  Sparrow  Lake.  From  this  central  point  he 
can  continue  his  explorations,  in  one  direction,  throughout  the  length  of  the  Severn  to 
its  mouth  on  Matchedash  Bay,  and  so  on,  in  and  about  the  inlets  of  this  estuary,  or 
by  direct  flight  northward  tiirough  the  maze  of  islands  that  gem  the  inshore  waters  of 
the  Georgian  Bay,  to  the  archipelago  of  Parry  Sound.  In  another  direction,  he  can 
quit  his  camping-ground  on  the  shores  of  .Sparrow  Lake,  and,  leaving  the  Severn 
River,  strike  northward  through  Morrison,  Rice,  Long,  Deer,  and  Pine  Lakes,  into 
the  southern  waters  of  Muskoka  ;  or,  branching  off  at  Leg  Lake,  by  sundry  portages, 
via  Echo,  Gull,  and  Clear  Lakes,  emerge  in  the  vicinity  of  the  beautiful  Palls  of  Bala. 
Continuing  this  latter  trip,  he  may  descend  the  Muskosh  River,  a  continuation  of  the 
Muskoka,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Lake,  and,  by  way  of  Go  Home  Lake,  strike 
the  Georgian  Bay,  in  the  township  of  Gibson.  P"rom  Sparrow  Lake  another  expe- 
dition might  be  determined  upon  eastward,  by  the  River  and  Lake  Kah-she-she-bog-a- 
mog,  on  by  Housey's  Rapids,  Bass  Lake,  and  Garter  Snake  River,  to  the  heart  of 
the  township  of  Ryde,  returning  from  Kah-she-she-bog-a-mog,  by  the  northern  branch 
of  the  river,  past  the  Falls  at  Malta,  and  so  on  to  the  point  from  which  he  set  out. 
In  any  and  all  of  the  expeditions  he  will    have  to  be    his  own  caterer.       If  attached  to 


PrCTURESQUE  SPOTS 


OF    THE   NORTH 


33 


a  party,  he  may  find  one  of  the  number  willing  to  experiment  in  the  culinary  art,  pro 
bono  publico ;  if  alone,  and  with  no  stomach  for  the  food  he  cooks,  he  hail  better  re- 
sort to  some  of  the  Indian  villages  on  his  way  up  the  lakes,  and  hire  a  chef  dc  cusinc, 
who  will  also  be  useful  as  a  guide  and  an  aid   in   portaging. 

To  those  making  for  the  larger  waters  of  the  region,  and  with  no  craving  for  the 
novelties  of  camping-out,  or  relishment  for  un  al  fresco  meal  on  a  bare  rock  or  burnt  stump 
in  the  "oods,  we  would  bid  them  keep  discreetly  to  their  "  Pullman "  on  the  Northern, 
until  the\'  arrive  at  Gravenhurst  ami  are  transferred  to  the  steamers  on  Muskoka, 
thence  to  one  or  other  of  the  hotels  at  some  point  on  the  lakes.  From  liarric  (to 
return  to  our  narrative),  the  "Northern"  trends  round  the  upper  shores  of  the  old  lac 
des  Cla/es  (  L.  Simcoe),  past  the  sombre  woods  of  Shanty  Bay,  and  on  through  Oro 
township  to  Orillia.  Shanty  Hay  was  lirst  settled  by  l.t.  Qo\.  Wm.  O'Brien,  who 
came  some  sixty  years  ago  to  the  district  on  a  philanthropic  mission  in  connection 
with  a  pro[)osal,  on  the  part  of  the  British  Government,  to  found  a  coloured  colony  in 
the  township  of  Oro.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  Wilberforce  period  dying  out,  the  pro- 
ject was  ne\er  prosecuted  beyond  tlu;  stage  of  giving  its  African  name  to  the  town- 
ship. The  region  was  subsequently  in  part  settled  by  half-pay  officers  of  the  army 
and  navy,  Kempenfeldt  Bay  receiving  its  name  ."^rom  a  retired  naval  commander,  who 
was  with   Admiral   Duncan  in   his  engagements  with  the   Dutch. 

We  now  approach  the  pretty  town  of  Orillia  and  the  waters  of  Couchiching,  which, 
being  translated,  means  the  "  Lake  of  Many  Winds."  Here  we  begin  to  feel  the  exhila- 
ration of  a  high  latitude,  the  Lake  being  750  feet  above  Ontario,  and  almost  400  feet 
above  Superior.  On  either  side  of  the  high  plateau  the  rivers  run  in  opposite  direc- 
tions. Formerly,  there  was  a  steamboat  service  between  Barrie  and  the  Lake  Simcoe 
ports  and  Orillia  ;  but  of  late  the  railways  have  supplanted  the  steamers.  The  latter, 
however,  are  still  to  be  chartered  for  e.xcursion  parties,  and  for  the  outing  of  the 
townspeople.  As  we  draw  U|)  to  the  station,  a  well-known  craft  on  the.se  waters 
steams  to  the  landing,  and  throngs  the  wharf  with  holiday  folks,  among  whom  the 
Indian  silenth'  stalks,   selling  his  gav   bead-work  and  birch-bark  knick-knacks. 

The  settlement  of  the  township  of  Orillia  was  begun  about  the  year  1830,  and 
from  its  thrifty  homesteads  have  come  many  young  men  who  have  taken  jirominent 
positions  in  the  ranks  of  the  professions.  The  town,  however,  has  jjeen  largely 
associated  with  Indian  history.  Near  by  was  the  fortified  Huron  town  of  Cahiatpie  ; 
and  here,  from  1828  to  1839,  were  located,  under  treaty,  large  numbers  of  the 
Lhippewa  tribe,  who  were  subsequently  removed  to  Rama,  an  extensive  Indian  re- 
serve on  the  other  side  of  the  Lake.  To  this  tribe  Lord  Dufferin,  in  1874,  paitl  a 
memorable  visit.  This  act  of  vice-regal  courtesy  was  much  appreciated,  and  brought 
out  on  the  Lake  a  large  and  vivid  mustering  of  the  wards  of  the  nation.  The 
modern   town  of  Orillia    is  attractively  situated  on   ground    which    shelves    up  somewhat 


.u 


PICTCRRSQ  UE  SPO  TS 


abruptly  from    the    lake.       I'Vom  the  hcitjhts  the  outlook  on   the   Lake  is  charuiiny,   the 
scene,  as  the  writer  recalls    it  on  a    l)rit,rht  summer    afternoon,  beinj,^    one  of  warm,  soft 


ORILLIA,     IKdM 


riU'-.      NAKROWS.' 


sunlii^ht  anil  srlistenintj  beauty.  On  the  wharves  every  facility  is  j^^Mven  for  l)oating, 
tishiny,  and  i^eneral  rusticatinj^;  the  islands  and  points  round  the  Lake  are  invitini;  ; 
and  trolling  and  angling  is  lively  work.  ^Lagni^lcent  hauls  of  sparkling  brook-trout 
aiul  the  finest  of  bass,  on  a  suitable  day,  will  repay  the  sportsman  ;  and,  in  the 
proper  season,  a  good  showing  of    partridge  or  duck  can  be   bagged. 

Opposite  the  town  is  a  locality  known  as  "  The  Narrows,"  the  link  of  connection 
between  Lakes  Simcoe  and  Couchiching;  and  in  the  reeds  and  clear  shallows  of  the 
place  wing  and  tin  congregate.  On  a  beautifully  wooded  spur  of  land,  close  by,  a  com- 
pany some  years  ago  erected  a  spacious  hotel,  and  laid  out  a  number  of  acres  in 
ornamental  grounds;  but  not  long  after  its  erection  the  hotel,  unfortunately,  fell  a 
prey  to  the  tlamc^s.  Over  the  Narrows  the  two  railways  pass  I)y  means  of  long  swing 
bridges  built  on  piles,  and  in  passing  afford  to  the  traveller  a  pleasing  glimpse  of 
Orillia  and   its   vicinity. 

Leaving  Orillia,  and  crossing  the  Narrows,  our  road  by  rail  now  lies  along  the 
east  side  of  Lake  Couchiching,  through  the  township  of  Rama,  until  we  come  to 
W'ashago  and  Severn  Bridge.  At  W'ashago  tlu!  agriculturist,  or  v.w.n  the  cattlc- 
grazier,  will  be  appalled  at  the  abrupt  and  startling  change  in  the  aspect  of  Nature. 
Here  tlie  Cyclops  met  tlu;  poor  settler,  with  his  heart  in  his  mouth,  as  he  took  his 
first  look  of  Muskoka  through  this  stern  patewa\'  of  the  b'rcc  (ir;int  Lands.  CieoloirjcalK , 
the  district  is  singularly  interesting  ;  but  such  an  uptilting  of  the  grountl-lloor  of 
primeval   rock   must  have  drunted  the   soul  of  the  sturdiest   intending  .settler.       Yet  this 


OF    THE   NORTH 


35 


mass  of  gneiss, — a  com|)oiiiul  of  quartz,  mica,  and  y[raiiiti;,  -is  hut  an  al)riii)tly  jiittinji;' 
barrier.  s(;cmin^ly  shot  up  to  test  his  metal,  and  ere  lonj;-  mercifully  to  ilisappear,  it 
he  has  courage  to  go  forward.  Wt;  have  s[)oken  of  approaching  a  Paradise  :  the  first  im- 
pression of  tlu!  immigrant  must  he  that  he  has  come  to  tiu,'  contines  of  an   inferno. 

At  Severn  Bridge,  a  fi-w  miles  farther  on,  the  granite  frown  ui)on  Nature's  face 
visibly  softens;  and  as  we  cross  the  outlet  of  the  waters  of  Couchiching,  which  here 
find  their  way  to  the  Georgian  Bay  l)y  the  Severn  River,  W(;  (|uit  the  county  of 
Simcoe  and  enter  the  townsiiip  of  Morrison,  the  tirst  block  in  tht;  territorial  heri- 
tage of  the:  s(;ttler.  Mere,  by  the  bounty  of  the  Crown,  a  tract  of  land,  with  an 
area,  in  the  districts  alom;  of  Muskoka  antl  Parry  Sound,  of  over  si.x  tliousand  square 
miles,  lias  been  set  aside,  uiulcr  tiie  Proxincial  bree  Grant  and  lloniesieail  .\ct  of 
1868,  for  tiu,'  homes  of  Immigrants.  Under  the  least  irksom<'  conditions  of  settle- 
ment, the  male  heat!  of  a  family  can  actpiire,  "  without  money  and  without  price,"  two 
hundred  acres  of  cultivable  land  ;  and  each  son  over  the  age  of  eighteen  can  become 
possessed  of  a  humlretl  acres  in  his  own  right,  for  the  purposes  of  bona  fide  settle- 
ment and  cultivation. 


liNTERING     INDIAN     RIVKR,     LAKE     KOSSEAU. 


The  P'ree  Grant   Lands  we  are  entering    upon  extend,  or    are  designed    to    e.xteiul, 
from  Severn   Bridge,  on  the  south,  to    Lake    Nipissing    and    the    PVench   River,  on    the 


36 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


north.  Their  longitudinal  area  comprises  a  Ix'lt  of  varying  lireadth,  reaching  from 
the  Georgian  Hay,  through  Muskoka,  portions  of  Victoria,  llaliinirton,  Nipissing,  and 
Renfrew,  to  the  Ottawa.  For  tiic  most  part,  it  is  only  honest  to  say,  that  the  Free 
Grant  territory  is  a  wild  region ;  but,  though  hitiierto  the  abodes  of  solitude,  tlu; 
several  districts  are  rapidly  being  brought  within  r(;ach  of  civilization,  anil  Iutc  ami 
there  under  a  fair  measure  of  cultivation.  The  district  we  are  at  |)resent  con- 
cerned with  affords  tlu;  most  convincing  evidence  of  this.  It  is  not  many  years 
since  the  rigours  of  residence  in  the  district  harrowed  the  heart  of  the  humane,  in 
British  journals,  to  deter  immigration  hither.  liut  the  same  journals  that  pub- 
lished the  wails  of  English  gentlewomen,  who  braved  the  earl)-  terrors  of  the  region, 
have  since  given  gratifying  testimony  to  the  improved  conditions  of  its  later  life. 
"  Misery  loves  company,"  says  the  old  proverb,  though  the  attractions  of  misery  will 
hardly  account  for  an  increase  in  the  population  of  the  district  from  ^^oo  in  the  year 
1861,  to  30,000  in  the  year  18S2.  But  po])ulation  has  not  been  its  only  gain. 
Population,  while  giving  the  settler  a  neighbour,  gives  the  neighbourhood  the  benefit 
of  his  work.  The  region  has  iieen  opened  up  ;  clearings  have  been  made  ;  roads 
cut ;  mills  started  ;  boats  chartered  ;  and  communication  everywhere  e.xtended.  The 
settler  can  now  get  not  only  into  his  clearing,  but  he  can  gel  out  to  a  market. 
He  can  even  have  his  daily  mail ;  and  in  many  quarters  the  morning  cit\'  papers  art- 
read  by  thousands  in  the  district  each  day  before  dark.  This  circumstance  goes  a 
long  way  in  reconciling  the  settler  to  his  lot,  for  in  lonely  regions  there  is  no  cheer 
more  potent  than  the  passing  steamboat  or  stage  carrying  the  mail-bag. 

The  truth  about  Muskoka  is  not  now  a  matter  of  doubt :  it  has  had  its  day  of 
small  things,  and  the  settler  his  hour  of  trial.  Isolated  from  his  fellows,  the  pioneer's 
life  was  set  in  shadows.  If  he  had  to  cross  a  stream,  it  was  upon  logs;  and  his 
nearest  neighbour  may  once  have  been  a  weeks'  journey  off.  We  have  heard  of  a 
settler  who  had  lost  count  of  the  days  of  the  week,  and  {ihrough  a  whole  winter  had 
been  keeping  Tuesday  as  the  Day  of  Rest.  Nowadays,  unless  as  a  protest  against 
Sabbatarianism,  there  is  little  danger  of  the  settler  consciously  repeating  this  mistake, 
for  not  only  is  he  now  surrounded  by  neighbours,  but  the  permanent  missions  and  the 
itinerant  divinity  stutlent  may  be  trusted  to  jog  his  memory  in  regard  to  the  eccles- 
iastical calendar.  His  temporal  well-l)eing,  whatever  hardships  he  has  had  to  undergo, 
is  i.ow  beyond  dispute.  Within  the  space  of  ten  or  twelve  years,  men  who  have 
taken  up  land  in  the  district,  and  who  brought  little  with  them  save  their  families  and 
their  pluck,  have  each  their  homestead  and  clearing,  with  well  fdled  barns  and  more 
or  less  stock.  The  climate  is  delightful,  and,  particularly  round  th(;  lakes,  has  not  the 
extremes  of  temperature  experienced  in  the  older  settled  portions  of  the  Province. 
Wheat  raising,  it  is  true,  is  not  always  to  be  depended  upon,  but  with  the  introduc- 
tion   of   artificial    fertilizers,  this    objection    may    soon    be    removed.       Grasses,  however, 


OF   THE  NORTH 


37 


SOUTH     MUSKOKA     FALLS, 


grow    luxuriantly,    and    coarse    grains     and 

root    crops    are    an    amazing    success.       The    pasture,    moreover,    doesn't    burn    up    in 

midsummer  as  it    does    to    the  south.       Hence,    for    stock-raising   and   dairying,  there    is 


38 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


no  portion  of  the  Province  so  suitable.  Cattle  live  and  fatten  in  the  woods  for  seven 
months  in  the  year.  In  the  woods,  indeed,  they  find  their  most  succulent  pasturage, 
and  from  choice  they  will  leave  a  clover-field  to  browse  on  the  shoots  of  the  young 
basswood  and  maple.  For  sheep-raising  the  rocky  land  of  the  district  is  also  excel- 
lent, as  vegetation  is  both  nutritious  and  abundant. 

There  are  drawbacks,  of  course,  to  settlement  in  Muskoka,  l)ut  only  such  as  time 
will  remove.  There  is  want  of  increased  railway  communication,  and  the  facilities 
which  the  cattle-raiser,  in  particular,  is  in  need  of  in  reaching  a  market.  For  his 
purposes,  also,  the  command  of  capital  is  a  necessity,  to  enable  him  to  import  into  the 
district  the  means  of  improving  his  stock.  With  increased  capital,  there  is  also  need 
of  the  dissemination  of  more  liberal  ideas  on  farming,  for  it  will  pay  to  drain  and 
fertilize  the  land,  and  much  of  the  best  of  it  is  yet  to  be  reclaimed  from  the  beaver- 
meadow  and  swamp. 

The  proportion  of  good  land  is  said  to  be  sixty  jjer  cent,  of  the  whole,  the  soil 
for  the  most  part  being  a  sandy  loam  with  clay  subsoil,  and  in  extensive  tracts  lying 
back  of  the  lakes,  generally  free  from  stone.  The  root  crops  are  unusually  large, 
and,  if  we  except  the  turnip,  are  unaffected  by  the  attacks  of  pests.  Potatoes  yield 
some  three  hundred  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  turnips  from  six  to  nine  hundred 
bushels.  Oats,  rye,  barley,  and  Indian  corn  are  the  chief  cereals;  oats,  the  chief  crop, 
generally  yielding  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  Wheat,  in  the  absence  of  lime  and  the 
scarcity  of  salt,  rarely  yields  more  than  twenty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  hay 
yield  is  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  tons. 

The  lumberman,  too.  has  his  harvest  in  the  district,  and  though  the  best  of  the 
hardwood  is  being  rapidly  thinned  out,  there  yet  falls  to  his  axe  many  sturdy  giants 
of  the  forest.  The  timber  products  of  the  region  include  white-oak,  black-birch, 
black-oak,  black  and  white-ash,  red-pine,  spruce,  tamarack,  and  hemlock.  The  bark  of 
the  latter  is  to  the  settler  no  inconsiderable  source  of  revenue  at  the  hands  of  the 
tanner ;  and  from  the  lumberman's  camp  comes  much  ready  money  for  hay  and  oats 
sold  to  it  during  the  winter  operations.  The  settler  who  is  a  good  sportsman  has 
also  in  the  district  other  means  of  keeping  the  pot  a-boil.  The  winter  brings  him, 
if  a  Nimrod,  many  products  of  the  chase,  or  if  a  trapper,  a  variety  of  more  or  less 
valuable  fur.  Though  the  bear  and  the  wolf  are  receding  with  the  advance  of  civiliza- 
tion, moose  and  deer  are  yet  plentiful  ;  and  with  a  good  dog  and  skill  in  wood-craft, 
the  settler  can  supply  his  larder  with  no  end  of  venison.  The  treasure  of  the  trapper 
includes  mink,  beaver,  marten,  and  muskrat.  The  lakes  and  streams,  moreover,  abound 
with  fish,  and  even  the  novice  can  always  make  a  good  basket  of  trout,  bass,  pickerel, 
perch,  and  what  is  termed  herring.  Whatever  his  disadvantages,  it  will  be  seen,  the 
lot  of  the  immigrant  in   Muskoka  need  not  be  an   unhappy  one. 

Passing  from  this  enumeration  of  the  resources  of  the  region,  let  us  now  introduce 


OF   THE  NOKTIl 


39 


AT    Tllli     LANDING,     ROSSKAU. 


the  reader  to  the  lakes,  at  the  approacli  to  which  we  had  for  the  time  left  him. 
Arriving  at  (i raven hiirst,  the  railway  journey  is  completed,  and  the  train  is  shunted 
down  i)y  a  side  line  to  Muskoka  wharf.  Both  at  the  town,  which  lies  on  the  shores 
of  Gull  Lake,  and  at  the  wharf,  the  rough  picturesqueness  of  the  region  is  dominated 
by  the  lumbering  operations  of  many  saw-mills,  and  the  eye  is  fain  to  seek  the  placid 
beauty  of  the  water  as  a  relief  to  the  uncouth  disarray  of  the  scene  on  shore.  Lake- 
ward  all  is  inviting,  and  one  at  least  of  the  trim  little  steamboats  at  the  moorings  is 
im[)atient  to  be  off.  Steam  navigation  on  these  water-stretches,  thanks  to  the  enter- 
prise of  Mr.  A.  P.  Cockinirn,  the  Dominion  representative  of  the  district,  was  begun  in 
1866,  when  the  "  Wenonah "  made  her  first  trip  to  Bracebridge,  whither  she  still  plys, 
followed  in    1871   by    the  "  Nipissing,"    on    board    of   which    let    us    seek    an    appetizing 


40 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


dinner  and  passaj^c  in  the  first  stajje  of  our  excursion  on  tlie  lakes.  I'lie  "  Wenonah's'" 
service  is  confined  to  the  lower  Lake  (Muskoka. )  plyin^j  daily  between  Hracebridgc  and 
Gravenhurst,  anil  semi-weekly  between  liic  latter  port  and  Hala.  Tiie  "  NipissinJ,^"  in 
addition  to  lier  service  on  llu-  lower  I.ake,  makes  a  daily  trip  to  the  heail  of  Lake 
Rosseau,  and  twice  a  week  to  Port  Cockbiirn,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Joseph.  The 
Icnj^th  of  the  sin^de  trip  is  about  tifty  mil(;s ;  and  the  steamer  is  "  timed "  to  make 
connection  with  the  morninjf  trains  from  Toronto  and  Hamilton,  and,  ninninjj  the 
entire  Icnj^th  of  Lakf^s  Muskoka  and  Rosseau.  brings  the  tourist  to  the  hcail  of  the 
latter,  with  its  ample  hotel  accommodation,  in  time  for  the  evening  meal  and  a 
comfortable  bed. 

The  tourist,  if  he  is  not  absorbed  in  the  scramble  for  dinner,  as  he  leaves  Graven- 
hurst will  note;  the  view  that  almost  instantly  o])ens  up  in  fine  panoramic  effect  before 
him.  Passing  the  "  Narrows,"  which  seem  almost  to  close  the  waters  of  the  Lake  from 
intrusion  into  the  port,  we  begin  to  thread  our  way  through  a  succession  of  islands 
little,  if  at  all,  inferior  in  romantic  beauty  to  those  on  the  historic  St.  Lawrence.  The 
interest  is  varied  at  every  turn.  Now  we  are  attracted  by  some  tiny,  moss-grown 
islet,  :;  mere  speck  of  rock  above  the  water,  but  upon  which,  nevertheless,  a  few  stunted 
specimens  of  the  Red  Pine  of  the  region  have  contrived  to  gain  foothold.  Anon,  we 
brush  the  margin  of  a  densely  wooded  island,  whose  shady  ravines  and  hillsides  are 
clothed  wiih  a  vegetation  almost  tropical  in  its  undisturbed  luxuriance.  Artist  or 
botanist,  here  is  material  in  profusion  for  either  !  Yon  glimpse,  were  we  not  hurrying 
by,  how  we  should  like  to  transfer  to  our  sketch-book;  and  there!  on  the  face  of  that 
cliff,  we  are  sure  there  is  much  we  should  take  away  in  our  specimen-box.  The 
region,  as  it  has  its  own  physical  conformation,  has  its  own  distinctive  flora.  Many 
plants  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  to  the  botanist  here  find  suitable  conditions  of 
growth.  The  beautiful  White  Fringed  Orchis — the  loveliest  of  all  the  Habenarias — and 
the  splendid  Cinnamon  and  Royal  Osmund  Ferns  grow  to  perfection  in  low  and  moist 
situations,  while  the  Polypody  and  the  Shield-fern  flourish  in  the  higher  grounds.  In 
the  district  are  also  found  in  exceptional  abundance  Club-mosses  of  various  species, 
and  the  curious  Pitcher-plant  nestles  in  its  moss-setting  along  the  margins  of  marshy 
pools.  But  to  describe  farther  the  Muskoka  plant-world  we  should  want  our  native 
"  Macoun  and  Spotton  "  or  the  ample  text-books  of  American  botanists. 

Meanwhile  "The  Nipissing"  has  traversed  the  long  reach  of  gleaming  water  that 
fills  the  lower  basin  of  Lake  Muskoka ;  and  for  the  next  half  hour  we  skirt  on  our 
left  two  of  the  largest  islands  in  the  Lake,  their  banks  laden  with  a  tangled  luxuriance 
of  brushwood,  bramble,  and  wild-flowers.  The  first  of  these  is  called  Browning's 
Island,  and  is  partly  owned,  it  will  chill  the  heart  of  the  lover  of  the  picturesque  to 
be  told,  by  the  Muskoka  Mill  and  Lumber  Company.  The  second  is  a  veritable  Eden, 
and    the    taste    as    well    as  the  wealth  of   its   owner,  a  well-known   and    much    respected 


OF    THIi   NOKriI 


4» 


member  of  tlic  local  judiciary,  will,  it  may  In;  taken  for  granted,  lony;  preserve 
"  I*;ilean-Ciowan"  from  the  jsecratinjj  hand  of  Commerce.  Lyinjj,  a  mass  of  verdure 
on  th{-  Lake,  the  led)res  of  rock  j,distening  under  the  afternoon  sun,  the  stray  glimpses 
we  get  of  the  interior  beauty  of  the  island  are  as  many  voices  that  cry  a  halt,  and 
excite  unappeascd  longing  to  land  and  invach;  its  recesses.  There  are  walks  and  tlrives 
in  and  round  about  tiiis  island  of  great  attractiveness,  and  no  little  ingenuity  has  been 
displaycKJ  in  blending  art  and  nature  in  ont;  harmonious  whole.  Wild  masses  of  rock, 
fallen  or  decayed  trees,  hollows  and  irregularities  in  the  surface,  have  been  taken 
advantage  of  to  secure  effects  as  surprising  as  they  are  delightful  ;  whih;  landing- 
stages  have  been  improvised,  and  cool  nooks,  commanded  by  grottoes  and  embowered 
lounging-places,  engirt  the  island  at  successive  stages,  and  woo  the  sojourner  with 
irresistible  attraction  to  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  many  woodlanil  shrines  in 
this  northern  "  Land  of    the  Lotu'-  ' 

Opposite  the  eastern  front  of  ■  il<an-Gowan  "  is  the  delta  of  the  Muskoka  River, 
and  from  the  reedy  shores  that  mark  u  e  river's  outlet  a  bewildering  haze  of  mist  rises 
to  confuse  the  helmsman,  as  the  steaii.  .  makes  a  wide  detour  to  strike  the  channel. 
The  course  of  the  .river  is  tortuous  and  full  of  surprises ;  at  times  the  steamer  seems 
to  be  heading  right  into  a  precipitous  cliff  fringed  with  forest,  at  others  to  be 
"  boomed "  by  a  mass  of  rank  vegetation  in  a  citl  de  sac  of  green.  For  six  miles 
we  pursue  our  sinuous  course  until  the  echoes  of  the  steamer's  whistle  are  borne  back 
to  us  in  mocking  notes  from  the  cascaded  heights  in  the  heart  of  the  village  of 
Bracebridge,  and  for  a  time  we  pull  up  at  the  busy  landing-place  of  the  metropolis  of 
the  Free  Grant   District  and  the  head  of    Muskoka   River  navigation. 

The  site  of  Bracebridge  is  elevated  and  well-chosen,  and  gives  access  to  the  sport 
and  picturesque  beauty  of  some  ten  townships,  whose  waters  are  drained  b\-  the  two 
branches  of  the  Muskoka  River.  To  the  immigrant  it  is  a  centre  of  importance, 
for  here  is  the  chief  agency  of  the  Immigration  Bureau,  and  from  here  settlers  are 
forwarded  to  their  locations,  either  about  the  lakes,  or  distributed  at  near  or  distant 
points  along  the  Government  Colonization  roads  that  penetrate  the  region.  To  the 
immigrant,  in  another  sense,  is  Bracebridge  important,  for  here  is  the  local  source  of 
the  settler's  supplies,  and  here  at  need,  too,  is  the  doctor.  It  is,  we  believe,  no  un- 
common thing  for  /F!sculapius  to  receive  a  summons  that  will  take  him,  it  may  be, 
fifty  or  sixty  miles  off  through  the  wintry  woods,  to  give  his  services  to  those  who 
need  them.  At  such  disadvantage,  equally  hard  is  the  lot  of  those  who  have  to 
summon,  and  him  who  responds  to  the  appeal  for,   the  doctor. 

In  winter,  when  the  lakes  are  frozen,  and  Parry  Sound  and  the  Georgian  Hay 
are,  too,  in  the  grip  of  the  Ice- King,  Bracebridge  more  than  ever  asserts  its 
supremacy,  for  it  then  becomes  the  sole  dependence  of  the  settler  for  his  ex- 
traneous wants,  and    to    and    from    it    come    the    passenger    stage    and    the    daily    mail. 


P! 


I 
I 


4a 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


together  with    the    ample-roljed  conveyances  of  those 
wlio    traffic     in     the     woods.        But     Bracebridge     has 

reason  to  hold  up  its  head,  for  not  only  is  ii  an  important  local  centre,  and  a  city 
set  upon  a  hill  in  the  great  highway  of  northern  travel,  but  it  has  the  distinguishing 
characteristic  of  getting  along  without  railway  facilities,  and  is  thus  sufficient  unto  it- 
self. Some  day  it  vvill  become  in  name,  .is  it  is  now  in  reality,  the  county  town, 
and  mav  boast  itself  of  a  cathedral  and  an  ecclesiastical  endowment,  as  it  already 
contains  the  see-liouse  of  a  l)ishop.  As  a  manufacturing  centre,  it  has  already  made 
progress,  and  its  excellent  water-privileges  supply  th(?  motive  power  for  a  number  of 
wcollen,  grist,  planing,  and  saw-mills,  sash  and  tloor  factories,  etc.,  in  addition  to  the 
indispensable  industries  of  the  blacksmith  and  wheelwright.  The  village,  moreover, 
rejoices  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the  most  complete  and  well-equipped  tanneries 
in  the  country. 

To  counteract  the  materializing  effect  of  a  rapid  industrial  development,  and  to 
woo  the  lover  ot  the  picturesque,  Bracebridge  has  not  only  in  the  neighbouring  town- 
ships, but  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  many  natural  attractions,  and  much  in  the  way  of 
fine  scenery  which,  with  the  sport  for  which  it  is  noted,  give  it  preeminent  position 
among  the  pleasurable  resorts  of  the  district.  In  full  vit^w  of  the  tourist,  the  Brace- 
bridge   Fall,    si  .ty  feet   in    heiglit,   disjilays   its   allurements  as  we  approach   the   landing; 


OF   THE  NORTH 


43 


mt 


anc!  to    those  who  are   content  with  a    superficial  inspection  rf  the  cascade  a  view  may 

be  had  without  quitting^  the  steamer.      Hut  a  stroll    to  the  bridge  that  spans  it,  and  an 

excursion  to  the    South    Falls  of    the  Muskoka,  some    few  miles    from  the    village,    are 

well  worth  a  day's  sojourn  at  Bracebridge,  even    if    the    tourist    is    unwilling    to   extend 

his  trip  to  the  series  of   lakes  that  lie  to  the  north-east.      To    the    canoeist,  as   well    as 

to  the  sportsman,  the  whole  region  is  unique  in  its  attractions ;  the  chain  of   connected 

waters,  reached    by  way    of    the    south    branch    of    the    Muskoka    River,    embracing    the 

Lake    of     Bays,    Peninsula,    Fairy,    Vernon,    and    Mary    Lakes,    and    returning    by    the 

northern  waters  of   the    Muskoka,   opens  a    panorama  of    thrilling    pleasure    and   delight 

to  those  who  enjoy  Nature  in  seclusion.      Those   unaccustomed    to  the   amphibious    life 

of    the  canoeist,  and   to  whom 

the    broken     river     navigation 

and    the    necessary    portaging 

would    be  serious    obstacles  in 

taking   this    trip,   may  proceed 

by  stage  or  private  conveyance 

to    Baysville,  where    they    can 

board    the    steamer    and   make 

the    circuit  of    Trading    Lake ; 

or    they    can    drive     to     Fort 

Sydney,  at  the    foot    of    Mary 

Lake,  take  the    steamboat    for 

Huntsville,  and  make  the  tour 

of    the  three    charming   sheets 

of    water  in    that   region.      To 

the    sportsman,     the     territory 

embraced  in    the   townships   lying 

to    the  north-east   of    Bracebridge 

has    a    special    charm,   for    in    the 

lakes     and      streams      tnnit      are 

abundant,    and    in    the    wootls,   in 

season,    will    be    found    plenty    of 

deer. 

Besides  the  I'alls  at  Brace- 
bridge, there  are  others  on  both 
branches    of    the    Muskoka    which 

well  repay  a  visit — the  High  Falls,  some  four  miles  distant,  being  specially  pictur- 
esque.  But  the  honours  are  carried  off  l)y  the  South  Falls,  whose  features 
are    made    familiar    by    the    artist    in    our    pages.        They  occur    on    the    south    branch 


STAr.r  ROAD— 
ROSSKAU  TO  PARKY  SOU.NI). 


44 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


of  the  Muskoka.  on  the  stage-ro;ul  to  (iravcnhurst,  and  no  visitor  to  the  region 
should  omit  to  sci;  th(  in.  The  scene  is  a  wild  one,  the  river  shooting  a  series 
of  ledges,  and  making  a  ilescent  of  a  hundred  feet  in  the  space  of  thn;e  hundred 
\ards.  Tile  tourist  comes  suddenly  upon  the  cataract,  for  it  is  not  seen  until  he  pulls 
up  on  tile  bridge,  a  short  distance  above  the  upper  basin.  Here  the  river,  which  for 
miles  has  been  sauntering  along  in  idle  dalliance,  the  dark  forest  crooning  over  the 
Stygian  stream,  suddenly  awakes  from  its  sleep,  and  ilings  itself  h(;adIong  through  a 
narrow,  winding  gorge,  the  sharp  ledges  of  rock  fretting  it  into  foam,  and  here  and 
there  dashing  the  water  up  in  spray  with  an  impact  that  shivers  it  into  beauty  and 
lightens  up  the  gloom  of  the  beetling  crags  that  overhang  the  torrent.  At  the  foot 
of  the  cleft  the  river  passes  again  into  gloom  and  stillness,  as  it  winds  its  way  in 
swirling  circles  of  white-bells  to  the  Lake  lieyond.  Approached  by  canoe  from  below, 
the  view  is  a  memorable  one  :  the  torrent,  lashed  into  foam,  hurling  its  mass  of 
gleaming  water  down  the  ravine ;  the  stern  grandeur  of  the  jutting  clifts,  their  grey 
walls  moistened  and  black  with  tin;  spray  of  ages ;  the  bridge,  clean  cut  against  the 
sky,  poised  over  the  roaring  abyss  ;  and  the  weiril  jjines  on  the  summit  singing  eternal 
dirges  in  harmony  with  the  scene.  The  vision  while  it  delights  also  awes,  and 
you  are  glad  ere  long  to  turn  from  it  and  get  into  the  <|uiet  beaut)-  of  still  water, 
the  sunshine  glimmering  softly  down  on  the  stream,  or  breaking  in  patches  of  light 
through  the  branches  of  the  over-arching  trees.  But  we  leave  the  river  and  return  by 
the  highway,  the  air  filled  with  the  resinous  odours  of  the  surrounding  pine.  As  we 
re-enter  the  village  a  great  burst  of  colour  in  the  west  tiirows  a  tinge  of  softened  red 
on   the  dark-green   of    the  forest,   and  gilds  the   ri\cr  with   a   tlame  oi    'ight. 

On  the  morrow  we  continue  our  tour  to  the  upper  Lake,  and  boarc  the  steamer 
for  Port  Carling  and  Rosseau.  .Swinging  from  our  moorings  at  Hracelii  ge,  we  pass 
down  the  Muskoka  River,  and,  regaining  the  Lake,  strike  north-west  for  Beaumaris  and 
Tondern  Island,  the;  Canadian  Anglesea,  which  juts  out  from  the  upper  water-front  of 
the  township  of  Monck.  Just  before  reaching  Bc.'umiaris  we  pass  the  channel  that 
admits  to  the  western  estuaries  of  Muskoka.  to  the  village  and  I'alls  of  Bala,  and 
to  the   Muskosh   Ri\er,   the  outlet   into  the   deorgian    Bay  of    the  waters  of   the   Lake. 

The  scenery  on  tlu;  western  waters  of  Muskoka  easily  rivals,  if  it  does  not 
surpass,  that  on  the  south  and  east  ;  and  to  the  angler  and  camper-out  there  open 
bewildering  attractions  in  the  innumerable  lakes,  bays,  and  islands  of  the  region. 
Here,  as  elsewhere  on  the  lakes,  islands  of  every  size  and  form  rise  in  picturesepie 
beauty  from  their  glassy  setting,  the  largest  of  them  dense  with  forest  to  the  water's 
edge.  Many  of  them  bear  names  well-known  in  the  business  and  social  circles  of  the 
Provincial  capital,  and  the  summer-houses  of  their  owners  peep  at  \ou,  in  e\ery  form 
of  rusticity,  as  you  pass  on  the  steamer.  At  Bala  the  Muskoka  stage-road  from 
Gravenhurst,  on    the    west    side  of    the   lakes,  here    crosses  the  river   and    trends    north- 


OF   THE   NORTH 


45 


I  it 
i 


MUSKOKA     SCKNKKV. 


n 


40 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


i 


V    ' 


ward,  by  way  of  Glen  Orchard,  to  Port  Cockburn  and  the  head  of  Lake  Joseph, 
thence  to  Parry  Sound  and  the  Georgian  Hay.  A  mile  or  two  to  the  west  of  the 
village  the  Moon  River,  one  of  the  finest  streams  for  maskinonge  and  brook-trout, 
branches  off  from  the  Muskosh,  and  loses  itself  in  the  unsurveyed  township  of  Free- 
man, or  turns  up,  a  western  Congo,   in  the  township  of   Conger.* 

But  we  resume  our  upward  trip  on  the  Rosseau  steamer,  which  by  this  time  has 
reached  the  wharf  at  Beaumaris.  Here  the  scene  recalls  in  miniature  the  arrival  of  the 
Ramsgate  boat  from  London,  the  summer-lodgers  at  the  hotel  close  by  having  gathered 
at  the  wharf,  each  spouse  looking  for  her  lord  and  master,  while  crowds  of  little  ones, 
in  every  conceivable  boating-costume,  hail  chums  on  the  steamer,  as  it  draws  in  to 
discharge  its  living  freight,  together  with  the  necessary  supplies  for  the  hotel  larder. 
But  presently  we  set  off  again  for  the  upper  end  of  the  Lake,  and  thread  our  way 
through  the  Seven  Sister  Islands,  an  archipelago  lying  to  the  south  of  Point  Kaye, — 
on  past  Idlewild,  One  Tree,  and  Horse-Shoe  Islands, — into  the  converging  channel  of 
the  Indian  River  and  the  lock  at  Port  Carling,  which  admits  to  the  .waters  of 
Rosseau    and    Joseph. 

A  glance  at  Mr.  Rogers'  excellent  maps  of  these  lakes,  which  no  visitor  to  the 
region  should  be  without,  will  indicate  the  peculiar  land  conformation  we  are  now 
approaching,  and  enable  the  tourist  to  appreciate  the  ingenuity  which  devised  a  route 
for  the  navigation  of  Muskoka  waters.  Were  the  lakes  such  as  the  English  or  Scotch 
tourist  is  familiar  with,  hollows  or  basins,  of  tolerable  regularity  of  form  and  shape, 
the  navigation,  though  varied  and  picturesque,  would  not  be  tortuous  and  erratic.  But 
they  are  unlike  anything  else,  and  their  coast-line  is  indented  in  the  most  irregular  and 
fantastic  manner.  At  one  part  of  the  route  we  pass  a  great  estuary,  at  another  a 
shallow  inlet ;  now  we  round  a  high  bluff,  anon,  we  steam  past  a  low  marsh, — island 
and  peninsula,  strait  and  river,  all  meet  us  in  succession,  as  if  the  place  had  been 
submerged  that  hs  elevations  may  form  a  pictorical  chart,  descriptive  of  the  geograph- 
ical terms  that  represent  the  divisions  of  land  and  water.  Varied  as  the  coast-line  is 
in  its  configuration,  the  disposition  of  the  crust-surface  is  hardly  less  unequal.  The 
islands  are  of  every  height  and  shape  :  in  one  direction,  they  tower  up  in  stupendous 
masses  of  black  rock,  with  a  dark  crown  of  green;  in  another,  "scorched  by  the 
lightning's  livid  glare,"  tiieir  only  covering  is  the  gaunt  spectres  of  burnt  timber. 
Nothing  in  the  district  can  surpass  in  effect  the  beauty  of  some  of  these  little  islands, 
which  Nature  does  its  best  to  clothe,  but  which  man,  in  his  heedlessness,  often 
allows  to  become  food  for  the  flames.  The  devastation  caused  by  fire  in  the  bush  is 
one  of  the  most  melancholy  sights  which  the  lover  of  Nature  can  witness.  A  hot 
summer  scorches  the  edge  of  the  woods,  and  if  the  fall  be  dry,  a  fi  -e  is  readily 
started,  which  will  run  through  the  bush  with  amazing  rapidity — the  thick  carpet  of 
dry    leaves    and    the    fresh    cuttings    of    the    lumberman    acting   like    a    powder-train    in 


OF    THE  NORTH 


47 


ij,miting  the  whole  region.  In  Muskoka  many  square  miles  of  beautiful  forest  annually 
fall  a  prey  to  the  devouring  element.  This  with  care  might  be  avoided,  and  the 
timber  preserved  for  shelter  and  ornamentation,  and  the  important  atmospheric  purposes 
which  the  forests  so  well  serve.  When  the  sportsman  and  camper-out  can  appreciate 
the  economic  advantages  of  growing  timber,  and  rerlize  the  loss  to  a  settler,  even 
where  there  is  much  forest,  of  a  burnt  bush,  scrupulous  pains  will  be  taken  to  ex- 
tinguish fire  on  quitting  a  camp.  Even  the  settler  has  need  to  be  more  careful  than 
he  is,  for  he  has  been  known  to  let  fire  run  through  a  bush,  to  save  the  toil  of 
chopping,  regardless  of  the  injury  he  is  doing  to  the  soil.  His  greed,  too,  has  some- 
times to  be  put  under  restraint,  when  the  lumberman  offers  him  the  bait  which  is  to 
denude  the  land  of  its  glory  and  the  farm  of  its  wealth. 

But  we  are  recalled  from  this  digression  by  the  steamer's  whistle  as  we  approach 
Port  Carling,  the  Government  lock  on  the  Indian  River,  which  gives  access  to  the 
waters  of  Rosseau.  The  village  is  perched  on  a  mass  of  Laurentian  rock,  the  "  Polar 
Star  Hotel,"  close  by,  reminding  us  of  the  northern  latitudes  we  are  now 
coming  to.  The  lock  has  evidently  been  a  difficult  bit  of  excavating,  and  Irish  muscle 
and  Irish  dynamite  have  here  been  put  to  legitimate  and  laudable  use.  A  few  stores 
and  houses,  and  two  or  three  churches,  which  veritably  have  been  built  upon  a  rock, 
comprise  the  buildings  of  the  place.  An  unpretentious  swing-bridge  over  the  lock 
supplies  the  link  of  connection  between  Port  Carling  and  Bracebridge.  The  scenery  in 
the  neighbourhood  is  wild  and  uncouth,  though  there  is  a  pretty  by-path  through  the 
woods  to   Rockhurst,  opposite   Port  Sandfield. 

Passing  through  the  lock  at  Port  Carling,  the  steamer  traverses  a  finely  wooded 
basin,  in  which  there  is  good  fishing ;  and  a  sharp  turn  brings  us  into  the  upper 
entrance  of  the  Indian  River,  an'l  another  bend  leads  into  Lake  Rosseau.  Here  we 
come  to  what  many  consider  the  prettiest  part  of  the  lakes.  Prom  Baker's  Island, 
round  to  P'airy  Land  Island  and  the  "  Eagle's  Nest,"  and  on  to  Port  Sandfield,  Lake 
Rosseau  is  fairly  gemmed  with  a  profusion  of  islets,  many  of  which  are  owned  by 
Toronto  citizens,  of  known  aquatic  tastes,  and  whose  summer  cottages  peer  out  of  their 
sylvan  settings  at  every  bend  of  the  Lake.  A's  we  pass  the  foot  of.  this  channel,  on 
our  way  to  Windermere,  the  evening  sun  paves  it  with  gold  :  if  ever  there  was  an  Eden, 
we  think,  we  must  find  it  here.  SeUlom  has  our  eye  lit  upon  a  lovelier  scene, 
and  never,  to  our  mind,  has  Nature  made  a  more  effective  use  of  her  materials.  Sky, 
and  land,  and  water,  here  all  combine — as  we  have  often  seen — to  make  a  perfect 
picture,  the  effect  of  which,  particularly  when  the  woods  are  ablaze  with  the  colouring 
of  a  Canadian  autumn,  is  almost  indescribable.  Here  the  hemlocks  mass  up,  in  spots 
familiar  to  us,  with  an  effect  that  would  ravish  an  artist's  heart,  their  lighter  colours 
and  more  graceful  forms  relieving  the  sombre  character  of  the  intermingling  spruce 
and  pine. 


ll 


48 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


!!'' 


f.' 


: 


I 


Presently  we  touch  at  Windermere,  which  his  no  visihle  attractions  to  remind  one 
of  its  En<,dish  namesake,  though,  some  little  tlistance-  back  of  it,  is  an  allurinjr  sheet 
of  water,  bearing  the  name  of  Three  Mile  Lake.  For  the  next  hour,  we  skirt  the 
eastern  flank  of  Big  Island,  which  looks  as  if  it  had  fallen  accidentally  from  the  shoulder 
of  some  giant  aloft,  and  had  escaped  being  chopped  into  the  little  islets  which  strew 
the  Lake  with  their  tree-tufted  beauty.  The  coast-line  on  the  right,  as  we  proceed 
northward,  preserves  its  pleasing  irregularity,  and  in  parts  is  quite  pretty.  Jutting  out, 
on  the  left,  is  the  peninsula,  with  its  wharf  and  post-office,  of  Juddhaven,  and  a  little 
higher  up,  on  the  right,  is  Skeleton  Bay,  the  entrepot  for  the  waters  of  the  beautiful 
lake  and  river  of  that  name  e.vtending  some  miles  inland.  The  fishing  on  both  lake 
and  river  is  the  delight  of  those  who  have  been  born  under  the  constellation  of  Pisces, 
and  the  region,  with  the  Rosseau  River  higher  u[j,  is  the  frequent  resort  of  visitors  to 
these  high  latitudes.  On  Skeleton  River  are  the  beautiful  Minnehaha  halls,  which  are 
well  \\(irth  a  visit. 

But  we  approach  the  head  of  the  Lake  and  the  high  wooded  blufl^s  which  give  it 
character  and  I)eauty.  The  dark  shadows  of  evening  have  fallen  as  we  approach 
Rosseau,  but  suddenly  we  catch  sight  of  a  glitter  of  lights  that  bespeak  comfort  and 
good  cheer  in  the  hostelry  of  Pratt.  It  is  said  that  amusing,  and  sometimes  peppery, 
contretemps  are  the  result  of  the  hrnsqiierie  of  the  proprietor  of  this  hotel.  Hence,  it 
is  well  to  know  that,  in  the  "  Monteith  House,"  there  is  another  resort,  if  it  is  the 
humour  of  the  owner  of  "  The  Rosseau  "  not  to  suffer  invasion  from  the  fashion  of 
the  south. 

The  visitor  will  here  naturally  seek  to  note  his  surroundings.  In  the  season, 
he  can  hardly  come  to  so  favourite  a  resort  and  fail  to  meet  with  some  one  he  knows. 
Should  he  not  have  this  luck,  he  will  fmd  atonement  in  the  scene  out-of-door.s.  Only 
an  artist's  eye  could  have  chosen  the  spot.  The  features  of  the  scene  are  few  and 
simple.  The  water,  the  sky,  and  the  distant  woods.  Besides  these,  there  are  the 
usual  accessories  of  a  Muskoka  watering-|)lace — the  shelving  rocks,  and  the  muslined 
womanhood  that  people  them  ;  the  boats,  and  the  young  paddlers  that  swarm  about 
them  ;  the  islantFs,  and  the  boating  and  fishing  parties  that  resort  to  them.  Already, 
there  go  three  boat-loads  to  "do"  .Shadow  River!  Leaving  the  wharf,  two  or  three 
craft  are  hoisting  sail  for  the  trolling-fishing  of  the  Lake.  Approaching,  is  a  boatful 
of  campers  come  to  the  village  to  forage.  The  scene  in  all  directions  is  full  of  play 
and  movement. 

Animated  for  the  time  as  is  the  scene  we  have  been  looking  at,  its  winter  aspect 
is  a  sharp  contrast.  Yet  it  is  solacing  to  learn  that  the  spot,  remote  as  it  is  from 
civilization,  is  still  within  reach  of  the  outer  world.  Rosseau  is  one  of  the  most 
northerly  links  in  that  electric  chain  that  girds  the  globe,  though,  with  the  solitudes 
about,  we  little    expect  the    place  to    be    reached    by  the    hand-bell  of   Commerce.       But 


OF  THE  MORTH 


49 


A    BUSH     FIRE    BY     NlCiHT. 


the  village  is  as  the  hem  on  the  garments  of  the  north.  Away  inland  stretches  a 
kingdom  that  in  winter  might  be  ruled  by  a  Jarl-King  of  Norway,  and  in  summer 
by  a  successor  to  the  Doges  of  Venice.  In  the  Parry  Sound  and  Muskoka  districts 
there  are  some  seventy  townships,  covering  an  area  of  six  or  seven  thousand  square 
miles.  Of  these  townships,  less  than  seven  are  watered  by  the  Muskoka  Lakes :  we 
are    therefore    only    on    the    frontier    of    a     realm    of   solitude.       The    colonization    road 


50 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


to  the  Magnetewan,  and  on  to  Lake  Nipissing,  which  runs  almost  due  north  from 
Rosseau,  gives  access  to  much  of  this  territory,  and  is  now  increasingly  frequented  by 
the  tourist,  as  well  as  by  the  lumberman  and  settler.  The  Magnetewan  region  is  the 
Mecca  of  sportsmen,  for  here,  in  lavish  plenty,  is  to  be  found  every  variety  of  fish 
and  game.  The  river  traverses  an  immense  tract  of  country,  and,  with  its  affluents, 
may  be  said  to  water  half  the  district  of  Parry  Sound.  It  is  the  objective  point  of 
all  lovers  of  the  gentle  craft,  and  no  water  teems  more  fully  with  fish.  Pickerel,  ten 
or  twelve  pounds  in  weight,  speckled  trout,  from  two  to  four,  and  bass,  from  four  to 
eight,  can  be  caught  in  the  streams  of  the  region,  while  the  sport  can  be  varied 
by  the  use  of  the  gun.  There  is  excellent  duck  shooting,  and,  in  season,  the  best 
of  moose  and  deer.  To  insure  good  sport  a  guide  should,  of  course,  be  of  the  party. 
In   the  neighbourhood  of    Rosseau   one  can  usually   be  hired 

"who  knows  the   bush 
As   the  seaman    knows   the   sea." 


J- 


To  return  from  the  Magnetewan  region,  the  visitor  may  either  retrace  his  steps 
on  the  Nipissing  highway,  Ly  way  of  Seguin  Falls,  to  Rosseau  ;  or,  he  may  continue 
his  canoe  voyage  westward  on  the  Magnetewan  River  until  he  reaches  the  intersection 
of  the  Great  Northern  Road,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Whitestone  Lake.  Here  he  will 
be  tempted  to  tarry,  making  his  headquarters  at  Dimchurch,  to  enjoy  the  sport  at  the 
Narrows,  either  of  herring  and  pickerel  on  the  lake,  or,  if  the  season  be  advanced,  of 
deer  in  the  woods.  Round  this  neighbourhood  the  deer  seem  to  have  their  favourite 
haunts,  though  the  brutal  system,  not  unknown  to  the  "  Dunkirkers,"  of  herding  them 
into  "yards"  and  knocking  them  on  the  head,  should  make  the  deer  chary  of 
frequenting  the  place  and  of    furnishing  venison  for  the    pot-hunter. 

From  Dunchurch,  the  tourist  may  descend  to  the  Georgian  Bay  in  two  easy  stages, 
first,  by  the  colonization  road  to  the  village  of  McKellar,  and  secondly,  from  that 
Venice  of  the  North,  by  a  series  of  natural  canals  and  the  Seguin  River,  to  Parry 
Sound  and  the  Canadian  Adriatic. 

To  the  sportsman,  if  an  explorer,  there  are  two  other  ways  of  reaching  the  outer 
world  from  the  Magnetewan.  First,  he  may  go  north  from  the  water-stretches  that  link 
the  townships  whose  names  are  dear  to  the  student  memory, — ^of  Chapman  and 
Croft, — until  he  comes  to  Commanda.  From  this  point  his  route  will  lie,  by  lake  and 
creek  of  the  same  name,  to  the  French  River,  and  so  on  to  the  Georgian  Bay ;  or, 
proceeding  still  northward  from  Commanda,  he  may  make  for  Lake  Nipissing,  thence 
down  the  Mattawan  River  by  the  old  trapper's  route  to  the  Ottawa.  Whichever  is 
his  choice,  despite  the  solitude,  he  may  be  assured  of  both  pleasure  and  sport.  If,  as 
•  cicerone,  we  are  responsible,  however,  for  his  safe-keeping,  we  shall  conduct  him  by 
the  speediest  route  to  Rosseau  and  to   Pratt. 


%\ 


OF   THE  NORTH 


5» 


The  route  homeward  from  Rosseau  may  either  lead  iis  directly  down  the  lakes  to 
Gravenhiirst ;  or,  taking  the  steamer  as  far  as  Port  Carling,  we  may  there  transfer 
ourselves  to  the  "  Kenozha,"  which  plys  on  Lake  Joseph,  and  with  it  proceed  to  Port 
Cockburn,  at  the  head  of  the  Lake. 

Emerging  once  more  from  the  Indian  River,  on  the  latter  excursion,  we  round  the 
peninsula,  whose  water-front  in  Rosseau  is  bestrewn  so  charmingly  with  islands,  and 
reach  Port  Sandfield  and  the  Government  canal  that  cuts  the  sand-bar  which  the 
waters  of  Joseph  and  Rosseau  have  jointly  thrown  up  to  estrange  the  lakes.  Pass- 
ing through  the  canal,  at  which  there  is  an  excellent  summer  hotel,  with  good  fishing 
in  the  neighbourhood,  we  again  proceed  northward,  though  there  is  little  to  interest 
until  we  reach  Hemlock  Point,  the  woodland  home  of  the  hydrographer  of  the  lakes. 
Here  Lake  Joseph  begins  to  fascinate,  and,  as  it  broadens,  to  enclasp  in  its  jewelled 
embrace  a  galaxy  of  islands,  a  summer  sojourn  upon  which  must  be  a  perpetual  and 
delirious  pic-nic. 

Threading  our  way  through  these  clumps  of  green  in  a  setting  of  silver,  for  the 
waters  of  Joseph  are  unlike  those  of  Muskoka  and  Rosseau,  which  are  dark  and 
tawny,  we  come  to  the  long  water-lane  of  Little  Lake  Joseph,  and  to  the  islands  of 
the  Ponemah  group  that  stand  warder  at  its  entrance.  The  larger  of  the  group,  called 
Chief  Island,  is  owned  by  a  veteran  pioneer  of  the  lakes,  who,  it  is  safe  to  say, 
extracts  more  pleasure  from  his  domain  than  do  the  collective  crowns  of  Polynesia. 
Just  beyond  this  group  lies  another,  the  apple  of  the  eye  of  the  Muskoka  Club,  an 
early  organization  of  campers,  whose  advent  and  many  summers'  visits  to  the  region 
haunt  the  memory  of  the  discoverers  of  the  group  with  yet  nnchilled  delight.  The 
group  is  called  "  Yohocucaba,"  a  strange  mouthful,  derived  from  the  fusion  of  the  first 
letters  in  the  surnames  of  the  original  owners.  Passing  this,  and  Morris  and  Maclen- 
nan  Islands,  which  nestle  under  the  lea  of  Equity  Crest,  an  hour's  steaming  brings  us 
to  Port  Cockburn  and  the  head  of  Lake  Joseph.  Here  the  tourist  will  find  comforta- 
ble quarters,  and  a  vista  of   rare   beauty  looking  down  the  Lake. 

As  a  summer  resort,  Port  Cockburn  vies  with  Rosseau  in  attracting  to  the  region 
those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  spend  the  holiday  months  by  the  "  multitudinous 
seas."  Both  resorts  are  within  easier  hail  of  the  cities  and  towns  of  Ontario  than 
are  the  watering-places  of  the  St.  Lawrence  or  the  coast  of  Maine.  There  may  not 
be  the  same  tonic  to  the  system  as  in  a  sojourn  by  the  sea,  but  the  change  is  delight- 
ful, and  there  is  no  end  of  sport.  In  many  respects.  Lake  Joseph  is  more  attractive 
than  the  other  lakes,  and,  but  for  the  many  burnt  islands  that  disfigure  its  upper 
waters,  would  decidedly  have  the  advantage. 

The  stage-road  from  Port  Cockburn  to  Parry  Sound  is  rough  but  picturesque,  and 
skirts  stretches  of  water,  which  freely  meander  through  Foley  Township,  alternating  with 
belts  of  large  oak,  birch,  and  red  pine.     The  lumbering  operations  of  Parry  Sound  and 


5a 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


neighbourhood  are  greatly  facilitattid  by  the  waters  which  vein  the  region  in  every  di- 
rection, but  at  times  they  successfully  detract  from  the  effects  which  Nature  strives  to 
produce  in  her  water-courses.  Hut  for  this,  Parry  Harbour  ami  Sound  would  be  an 
unrivalled  possession;  though,  once  out  on  the  Cieorgian  Hay,  Nature  asscirts  herself 
in  regal  fashion.  The  coast-line  froiu  Hyng  Inlet  at  the  mouth  of  the  Magnetewan, 
or  rather  from  the  I'rench  River,  a  little  to  tiie  norlli,  down  to  the  outlet  of  the 
Severn,  in  the  Matchedash  Bay,  is  chafed  and  frayed  in  a  marvellous  manner,  an^ 
ten  thousand  islands  are  said  to  bestrew  the  path  of  the  steamer  from  Harry  Sound 
to  Penetanguishene.  The  calamitous  story  of  the  early  French  Missions  at  Pene- 
tanguishene,  and  the  British  naval  occupation  of  the  place  in  the  opening  years  of 
th(!  present  century,  have  already  been  touched  upon  in  our  pages,  and  need  not 
now  detain  us.  Both  Penetanguishene  and  its  rival,  Midland  City,  are  rapidly 
making  new  history  for  the  region,  aided  by  the  railways  which  at  each  of  these 
points  tap  the  waters  and  the  commerce  of  the  inner  shores  of  Lake  Huron,  doing 
south  by  the  Midland  Line,  the  tourist  can  diversify  the  route  which  brought  him 
to  the  district  we  have  been  describing,  and,  by  way  of  Orillia,  Heaverton,  and 
Lindsay,  make  a  descent  upon  the  picturesque  scenery  that  lies  to  liie  north-east  of 
the  Provincial  Capital  and  in  the  lines  of  travel  that  wend  sea-ward.  In  this  new 
region,  if  our  pen  has  been  faithful,  the  reader  of  these  pages  will  be  slow  to  dismiss 
from  his  mind  the  beauties  of  Muskoka,  or  to  forget,  if  he  has  ever  visited  the  spot, 
the  most  attractive  of  Ontario's  forest  shrines,  encircled 

"  by  tlie  lauj(liiiifj  tides  that  lave 
Those  Edens  of  tlie  Northern  wave."  . 


OF   THE   NORTH 


53 


THE    UPPER    LAKES. 


TpHE  route  to  the  upper  lakes  by  the  Ottawa,  the  Mattawan,  Lake  Nipissing, 
and  French  River,  has  historic,  as  well  as  picturesque,  interest.  For  more  than 
two  hundred  years  before  whistle  of  locomotive  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  northern  woods, 
commerce  used  these  beautiful  water-stretches  as  a  highway  to  Lake  Huron.  The 
Hurons  came  down  by  this  way  to  trade  with  the  French  at  Montreal,  avoiding  the 
more  direct  route  from  their  villages,  through  dread  of  their  hereditary  foes,  the  Iroquois. 


54 


PICTL  -RESQUE  SrO IS 


liy  this  way,  as  lon^f  a>,M)  as  1615,  wcriil  Saimu;!  dr  Cliainplaiii  to  tlic  lliiron  louiitry. 
His  immctliati!  ohjt-ct  was  to  lead  a  small  fore*-,  whosi;  ar<ni('l)uscs  mii^lit  turn  ilic  scah; 
in  a  ])ro|)()si!(l  foray  of  tlu;  lliirons  upon  the  Inxpiois;  hul  \sv  may  hv  sure  tliat  the 
north-west  passaj^c  to  the  Indies  was  not  ai)sent  from  his  thouj^hts.  Champhun  was 
not  the  first  white  man  to  navij^^ate  l-rencli  River  and  ^aze  upon  tlie  imr  t/oiiii\  or 
great    fr(!sh-water   sea    of    tlic  11s.       One    Joseph  lo  Caron,  a    friar  of    liie    Recollet 

order,  had  mach-  the  journex'  .  tiie  previous  summer,  Ids  mission  heinj^  to  plant  the 
cross  in  Iluron  soil,  !,(•  Caron  was  one  of  four  priests  who  had  come  from  the  town 
of  lirouaf^e,  in  l-' ranee,  to  Christianize  the  savaj^es.  They  were  the  forerunners  of  those 
Jesuit  I^'athers  who  have  peopled  the  woods  and  fields  of  parts  of  Canaila  with  memo- 
ries of  a  heroism  as  disinterested  ami  devoted  as  any  that  histor)'  has  to  record.  In 
a  letter  to  a  frienil,  Le  Caron  tells  how  he  was  tired  out  hy  paddlin^^  all  day  with  ;ill 
his  strenj^th,  wadinj;-  the  rivers  a  hundred  times  and  more,  throui,di  mud,  and  over  sharp 
rocks  which  cut  his  feet,  carrying  the  canoe  and  luL(j,M<.je  throu^di  the  wooils  to  avoid 
rapids  anil  frij^htful  cataracts,  a  little  poundeil  maize  antl  water  his  only  fooil.  Not  an 
imposinj^j  fi<,''ure  this  Ri'collet  friar,  as  lut  wields  a  canoe-paddle,  or  stumbles  over  the 
portajfes,  in  coarse  \s,rixy  jjowp  aked  hood,  and  bare,  sandalled  feet  ;  and  yet,  in  the 
jud_i,niient  of  the   "eyes  that  r  us  in  eternity's  stillness,"  his  journey  does  noi    com- 

pare ill  with  the  triumphal  proj^ress  of  an  Alexander  or  a   Napoleon. 

\\  (;  may  easily  to-day  follow  the  course  by  which  Le  Caron  passed  to  Lake  Huron. 
We  may  even  yet  tread  portages  beaten  by  the  moccasined  feet  of  his  rude  com- 
panions. After  the  bluff  from  which  the  towers  of  the  Capital  now  spring  is  passed, 
the  two  lakes  of  the  AUumette  are  gained;  "and  now  for  twenty  miles  the  Ottawa 
stretches  before  him,  straight  as  the  bee  can  fly,  deep,  narrow  and  black,  between  its 
mountain  shores.  He  passed  the  rapids  of  the  Joachim  and  the  Caribou—  the  Rocher 
Capitaine,  where  the  angry  current  whirls  in  its  rocky  prison — the  Deux  Rivieres,  where 
it  bursts  its  mountain  barrier — and  reached  at  length  the  tributary  waters  of  the  Mat- 
tawan.  He  turned  to  the  left,  ascended  this  little  stream  forty  miles  or  more,  and 
crossing  a  portage  track,  well  trodden,  stood  on  the  margin  of  Lake  Nipissing.  !  he 
canoes  were  launched  again.  All  day  they  glided  by  leafy  shores,  and  verdant  islands 
floating  on  the  depth  of  blue.  And  now  appeared  unwonted  signs  of  human  ife, 
clusters  of  bark  lodges,  half-hidden  in  the  vastness  of  the  woods.  It  was  the  villagi  of 
an  Algonquin  tribe,  called  by  courtesy  a  nation — the  Nipissings — a  race  so  beset  with 
spirits,  so  infested  by  demons  and  abounding  in  magicians,  that  the  Jesuits  in  after 
years  stigmatized  them  as  'the  sorcerers.'"  Out  of  Lake  Nipissing  the  current  of 
French  River,  broken  by  numerous  falls  and  rapids,  bears  the  traveller  to  the  vast  bay 
to  which  the  loyal'.y  of  Governor  Simcoe  gave  the  name  of  the  third  George. 

By  the  route  thus  first  explored  soldiers  and  priests,  trappers  and  traders  of  the 
French  race,  found   their  way  to  the  upper  lakes  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  years.     There 


^/'   ////;  AOA'/'// 


55 


The 


rruyW  5  ovvOw'n'Av 


LAKI       N I  PISSING. 

is  evidently  a  connection  be- 
tween the  name  of  I">ench 
River  and  these  early  voyaj^es.  When 
the  country  passed  from  the  sway  of 
France,  the  canoes  of  lin^^lish  traders, 
keenly  alive  to  the  enormous  profits  to 
be  made  out  of  the  fur  traffic,  were  soon 
found  on  I'rench  River  and  the  northern 
lakes.  The  North-west  Company,  for 
years  the  rival  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Ad- 
venturers, but  now  mertjed  with  them  into 

one  great  corporation,    for  a   long    time    used    the    French    River    route  as    the    shortest 
practicable    line    of    communication    between     F"ort    William,    their    headquarters    in    the 


56 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


interior,  and  Montreal.  Vox  many  years  the  forests  echoed  to  the  sonjr  of  the  voyagmr 
and  the  splash  of  his  paddle,  as  the  fleet  of  canoes  made  the  annual  voyage  to  or 
from  the  east. 

Derrii'r'  ci.ez  nous,  ya-t-iin  ^tang, 

Kii  roiilant  ma  boule.     \Lliorus),  , 

Trois  heaux  canards  sen  vont  haignant, 

Roiili,  roiilani,  ma  hoiilc  roulant, 

En  roulant  ma  l)()iile   roulant   'Clionts), 
Kn   roulant  ma  boulc. 

Trois  l)caii\  canards  sen  vont  baignant, 

\'.\\   roulant  ma  boi'le. 
Le  tils  (III   roi  s'cn   va  cliassanl, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  bouli-  roulant. 
En  roulant  nia  boulc  roulant. 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 

Le  tils  du  roi  s'en  va  cliass.iut 

\'.\\   roulant  nia  boule. 
Avec  son  grand  fusil  d'argent,  . 

Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant  ma  boule  roulaiu. 

En   roulant  m,i  boule. 


Sir  George  Simp;on,  the  Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  under  whose 
rule  the  amalgamation  of  the  two  cor[)orations  was  effected,  describes  the  trij)  by 
the  Ottawa  and  the  French  River  in  his  "  Journey  Round  The  World."  Following 
the  tracks  of  these  early  navigators,  we  are  in  the  heart  of  that  remarkable  region  of 
broken,  rocky  Laurentian  country,  so  called  from  the  Laurentides,  or  Laurentian  Hills. 
Rising  on  the  Labrador  coast  and  forming  the  northerly  wall  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
valley ;  withdrawing  from  the  river  some  miles  below  Quebec,  and  passing  north  of 
Ottawa ;  sending  down  a  spur  to  cross  the  St.  Lawrence  near  Kingston  into  the  State 
of  New  York,  where  it  towers  into  the  Adirondack  range  ;  continuing  their  ])rogress  in 
Canada  to  the  Georgian  Bay  ;  thence  around  its  shores  and  the  north  shore  of  Lake 
Superior ;  leaving  Lake  Superior  to  take  a  majestic  sweep  northward  and  westward 
and  sink  into  the  icy  sea — ^the  Laurentians  form  a  mysterious  mountain  chain  whose 
age  and  origin  are  wrapped  in  obscurity.  And  in  this  Laurentian  country  is  found 
what  is  distinctive  in  the  scenery  of  the  eastern  half  of  the  Dominion.  The  crag,  hewn 
and  planed  into  every  romantic  shape  ;  the  fir  rooted  in  the  crag  ;  the  stream  pursuing 
its  way  between  walls  of  living  green,  now  foaming  down  a  boulder-strewn  bed,  now 
widening  into  a  tranquil  lake ;    the  island-rock  clothed  with  verdure,  and    surrounded  by 


or   THE  NORTH 


57 


AT     THE     PORTAGE. 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Employes  on  their  annual  Expedition. 


58 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


countless  companions — these  characteristics  of  Canadian  scenery  belong  to  the  Lauren- 
tians.  Broken  up  into  astonishin*^  diversity,  the  Laurentian  tract  abounds  in  the 
picturesque,  and  affords  the  p  ople  of  Quebec  and  (Ontario  opportunities  for  pleasant 
and  healthful  summering  which  few  countries  enjoy.  Hence,  also,  come  the  vast  sup- 
plies of  timber  which  create  the  greatest  of  Canadian  industries.  Stores  of  minerals  of 
incalculaljlc  value  lie  in  the  bosom  of  the  hills,  and  extensive  tracts  of  good  land  in 
the  river  valleys  and  other  depressions.  True,  the  tiller  of  the  soil  has  a  hard  fight 
with  nature  before  she  yields  a  fair  return,  but  such  struggles  produce  men  of  strong 
wills  and  earnest  natures.  "What  do  you  raise  here?"  asked  a  stranger,  with  some- 
thing of  a  sneer,  as  he  surveyed  a  stony  field  in  New  Hampshire.  "  We  raise  men, 
sir,"  was  the  proud  reply. 

Lake  Nipissing  is  in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  most  promising  tracts  in  the  Laur- 
entian district.  Until  lately,  but  little  has  been  known  of  the  character  or  capabilities 
of  this  unoccupied  region,  but  the  active  explorations  of  the  government  of  Ontario 
have  brought  to  light  much  important  information.  The  total  area  of  unsettled  Crown 
lands  between  the  Ottawa  and  Georgian  Ray,  south  of  Lake  Nipissing,  is  little  short 
of  twelve  million  acres,  or  more  than  half  the  area  of  Ireland.  At  least  half  of  this  is 
well  suited  for  settlement,  a  country  capable  of  sustaining,  at  a  moderate  estimate,  a 
hardy  population  of  five  hundred  thousand  souls.  C^f  the  three  sections  into  which  this 
region  is  divided — the  Red  Pine,  the  WHiite  Pine,  and  the  Hardwood  country— 
the  latter  is  much  the  best  adapted  for  agriculture.  This  tract,  commencing  at  the 
headwaters  of  the  Mattawan,  and  extending  sixty  miles  to  the  weft,  contains  some  seven 
thousand  superficial  miles.  It  is  a  singularly  isolated  region.  Between  it  and  Lake 
Huron,  and  bordering  PVencK  River  on  both  sides,  lies  an  expanse  of  barren  country, 
terminating  in  bare  rock  towards  the  shore  of  the  lake.  On  the  south,  also,  along  or 
near  the  division  of  the  waters  of  the  Ottawa  and  St.  Lawrence,  it  is  girded  by  a  belt 
of  rugged,  stony  land,  about  twenty  miles  in  breadth,  utterly  unfit  for  settlement.  To 
the  east  it  is  separated  from  the  inhabited  country  on  the  Ottawa  by  the  timber  dis- 
trict. Within  these  boundaries,  for  the  most  part  in  primeval  solitude,  is  an  extensive 
tract  of  e-xcellent  farming  country.  Here  are  found,  also,  numerous  water-powers  of 
value,  and  timber  of  the  finest  description.  The  forest  is  full  of  game — moose,  cariboo, 
red-deer  and  bears,  of  the  larger  sort ;  and  of  smaller  game — hares,  swans,  geese,  ducks, 
wild  turkeys,  partridges  and  quail.  Of  fur-bearing  animals,  there  are  the  silver-gray,  red, 
and  black  fox,  the  otter,  marten,  mink,  and  beaver.  The  lakes  and  rivers  swarm  with 
fish.     The  climate  is  clear,  bracing,  and  healthy. 

There  is  no  testimony  to  the  character  of  this  region  more  interesting  than  that  of 
the  German-Swiss  delegates,  who  visited  it  and  have  already  promoted  thereto  a  Swiss 
immigration.  One  describes  the  soil  on  the  slopes  of  the  South  River  of  Lake  Nipis- 
sing,   as    much    resembling    that    of    tiie    vine-growing    hills    encircling    the    lakes    in    the 


OF   THE  NORTH 


59 


0.\     KRK.NCll      K1V1:K. 


French  cantons  of  S\vilz(;rlaii(l.  It  is  liis  conviction  that  in  the  course  of  time  vine 
ciiltun'  will  be  successfully  carrictl  on  in  this  part  of  the  Nipissinsj^  district.  "  The 
strikinjj^  resemblance  which  that  district  bears  to  tlu;  north-west  cantons  of  Switzerland, 
with  its  numerous  tnie  lakes,  the  mildness  and  <;reat  wholesomeness  of  its  climate,  and 
the  extraordinary  fertility  of  its  soil,  would  make  it  a  splendid  new  home  for  Swiss 
immigrants  to  Ontario,  in  whose  hands  would  soon  llourish  a  'New  Helvetia'  in 
Canada." 

A  visitor  from  Wurtembur>,r  to  the  "Free  Grant"  territory,  pleasantly  relates  his 
experience  of  "  the  Hush."  He  travels  on  the  colonization  road  from  Rosseau  to 
Nipissinjr.  To  the  right  and  left  of  the  road  there  are  thousands  of  acres  of  the  best 
land.  The  soil  improves  as  the  lake  is  approached.  Now  and  then  a  log-house  is 
passed,  erected  a   few   months  ago,   l)ut  even   now    surroundeil   by  a   "clearing"  of  ten   or 


bo 


PI  CI  'IJKES(J  UE   SPOTS 


twelve  acres,  with  splendid  potatoes,  wheat  and  oats,  corn  and  ve<jetables.  Wherever  a 
stoppage  is  made  the  settlers  are  able  to  offer  a  jrood  meal.  The  cattle  are  in  excellent 
condition,  pastiirinL,^  partly  in  the  woods,  and  partly  in  the  fenced  lots.  In  the  midst 
of  the  forest  a  cart  is  met,  the  farmc^r  walkinj,;  l)(;hind  it.  He  stands  still,  with  the 
words,   '•  Voii  are  surely   also  a   Swahian?"     "Yes,   and   whence  are  xou?"     "Half  a  mile 


w 


KILLARNEY. 


from  Oppelsbohm  is  my  home;"  and 
the  visitor  listens  to  an  encoiirau- 
\ng  tale  of  contented   iniliistr\-. 

North  and  west,  also,  of  Lake 
Nipissin<,f  the  land  is  good.  The 
agents  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, the  only  white  residents,  have  seen  an  unwonted  sigh^,  the  surveyor,  with  his 
theodolite,  making  townships  in  the  wilderness.  There  is  reported  to  be  more  fertile, 
arable  land  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Ottawa,  above  the  Mattawan,  than  on  the  banks 
below  it.  A  line  drawn  from  Lake  Nipissing  to  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Temiscaming, 
with  the  Ottawa  to  the  north  and  west,  and  the  Mattawan  to  the  south,  forms  a 
rough  triangle,  within  which  is  a  large  area  of  hardwood  land.  It  is  in  every  way 
well  adapted  for  settlement.  On  one  side  it  touches  a  great  navigable  reach  of  the 
Ottawa,  and  on  the  other  a  large  lake,  which,  at  a  small  cost,  could  be  rendered 
easily  accessible  from  Lake  Huron,  and  on  the  very  route  which  must  be  used  for 
the    timber  trade,  now    e.xtending  to   Lake    Temiscaming.      North  of    this  tract    to    Lake 


OF   THH  NORTH 


6i 


A     I.AURENTIAN     BLUIK. 


Abbitibcc.  a  distance;  of  eiLjhty  miles,  soil  for  the  most  part  favorable  to  cultivation 
is  fouiul  to  exist,  bein^  a  lev(,'l  alluvial  over  a  limestone  formation.  The  timber  is  a 
heavy  jjjrowth  of  beech,  maple,  elm,  and  pine.  Where  these  woods  <;ro\v,  wheat  will  also 
grow  well.  The  climate  will  not  be  an  obstacle  to  settlement.  It  is  certainly  not  as 
rigorous  as  that  of  the   North-West. 

Already  tiie  shores  of  the  Lake  of  "the  Sorcerers "  are  awaking  to  the  sounds  of 
a  new  life.  The  hnni)erman,  pioneer  of  settlement  in  the  bush,  has  invaded  the  forest, 
and  set  up  his  saw-mills  and  shanties.  Tiie  farmer  has  followed  his  ste|js,  opening  up 
tracts   for  cultivation  ;    and  for  the  produce  the  lumberman  pays  well.      Government  rcKuls 


b2 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


make  access  easy  for  the  settler.  Steam-power  has  disturbetl  the  waters  which  floated 
Champla'm's  canoe.  The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  commences  its  course  westwanl  from 
Callendar,  on  the  north-east  shore  of  the  lake.  The  work  of  constnution  has  hei^un, 
and  goes  actively  on,  bringing  settlement  and  civilization  along  with  it.  It  will  not  be 
long  before  thriving  communities  spring  up  throughout  this  great  "Free  (irant" 
district,  which  will  be  the  nurseries  of  men  such  as  New  England  has  furnished  to  the 
United  States, 

Though   the  railway  has  re>ached  the   Mattawan  and   is  skirting  the  shores  of    Nipis- 


-Tmmmma^^mmamm: " 

" "  WKK^ " 

|V 

■   ^           1 

^mr-^ 

^^^ 

^ 

^^B^^^B^^^g:^'":  A-^  .AA>- 

|^^^-*»>3tei«---ii^** 

,2k'*i*«fc     . 

-**■ 

^^B^^^j  i^^^ff*^'^ 

'%«r*                  --- 

■■^-  ■■  ■^^^•^f^/mt, 

>, ^^^  ffK^t^-^''^ 

'^^  .ta 

W^    '■     I'J^^Pi^' 

^^ 

"       '      .J-.  . 

.     *--    •:. 

■JT-    -T   —*** — ^■-'-.    -----_ 

^^ ^  ''**^ 

'z:^'^          "^ 

•#-«(&*.'. . 

f^-                                ...^^r?"     ^ 

>.~fi^.>y  ""^  - 

^^-v_... 

.;■>■., 

TlIK     SAUI/r     STi:.     MAKIi:     RAl'lDS. 


sing,  commerce  does  not  yet  make  its  way  to  the  upper  lakes  by  the  route  which 
Champlain  followed,  I'or  the  present,  communication  is  by  rail  to  .Sarnia,  Goderich, 
Owen  Sound,  CoUingwood,  and  Midland,  from  which  jjorts  the  steamboat  commences 
the  circuit  of  the  inland  seas. 

At  Killarney,  a  fishing  village  on  the  northern  shore  of  the  Georgian  Ray,  modern 
travel  first  comes  in  contact  with  the  old  voyai;ci(r  track.  An  expedition  of  two,  in 
search  of  the  picturesque,  ap[)roached  this  place  by  steamer  one  August  afternoon.  On 
the  west  rose  the  wooded  bluffs  of  the  Grand  Manitoulin  Island,  and  on  the  east 
and  north  the  Laurentian  Hills,  which  are  to  be  our  companions  for  the  greater  part  of 
our  journey.  The  neat  houses  of  the  hamlet  were  clustered  on  the  edge  of  a  plain 
which  extended  to  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  through  which  forbidding  patches  of 
granite,  planed    mto   curious    shapes    by  glacial  action,  protruded.      In  the    narrow  chan- 


OF   THE  NORTH 


63 


nel,  formed  by  parallel  lines  of  picturesque  rocks,  and  apparently  closed  altogether  at 
the  upper  end  by  a  blue  wall,  rtshing-boats  with  bright-red  sails,  scudded  before  the  wind. 

The  upper  lakes  teem  with  fish.  Samon-trout  and  white-fish  are  the  most 
important  varieties.  These  are  caught  in  large  quantities  and  shipped  to  Toronto 
and  the  United  States.  The  old  method  of  salting  has  been  to  a  great  extent  super- 
seded, now  that  speedier  transit  is  obtained,  by  packing  in  ice.  The  large  boxes,  or 
"fish  cars,"  running  on  wheels,  which  are  seen  at  Killarney  and  other  fishing  stations, 
carry  each  from  ten  to  twenty-five  hundred  weight  of  fish  to  the  market. 

White-fish,  salmon-trout,  and  cranberries  are  the  staple  products  of  Killarney — In- 
dians and  half-breeds  the  staple  population.  Not  feeling  moved  to  linger,  we  proceeded 
westward  on  the  quiet  waters  of  the  Northern  Channel,  with  the  soft  outlines  of  the 
Grand  Manitoulin  on  one  hand  and  the  grim  Laurentians  on  the  other.  Manitoulin 
Island  is  not,  geologically,  akin  to  the  north  shore  of  the  mainland  ;  it  is  rather  an 
extension  of  the  peninsula  of  Ontario.  It  is  laid  out  into  townships,  and,  like  St. 
Josepl'.'s  ii-land  farther  west,   is  a  flourishing  agricultural  settlement. 

There  is  nothing  particularly  striking  in  the  Northern  Channel  above  Killarney. 
In  plav.<_s  the    Laurentians  are  broken  up  into  islands,  as  they  are  where  they  cross  the 


VILI.AGK.     OK     SAULT     STE.     MARIE. 


St.   Lawrence.      Below    Killarney,  the   rocky  fragments  are  scattered  along  the  coast   in 
picturesque  profusion. 

At    Little    Current,    on  the    Manitoulin    side,   we    encounter    a    stronp-   current,    due 


64 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


AT     MICHIPICOTEN     ISLAND. 

entirely  lo,  and  varying  in  di- 
rection with,  the  wind.  At 
Bruce  Mines,  on  the  mainland, 
is  a  pathetic  monument  of  ex- 
travagance and  failure  in  the 
shape  of  great  ranges  of  skele- 
ton machinery,  rusting  and  decaying  around  the  shafts  of  an  abandoned  copper  mine. 
Our  next  resting-place  is  Sault  Ste.   Marie. 

Originally  a  Nor'west  Company's  post,  "  the  Soo,"  as  the  place  is  called,  has  ex- 
panded into  a  village  of  five  hundred  inhabitants.  Its  importance  will  shortly  be 
enhanced  by  the  construction  of  a  branch  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  to  cross 
the  strait  at  this  point.  We  walked  to  the  old  trading-post,  which  has  long  lost  all 
signs  of  commercial  activity,  and  thence  made  our  way  to  the  Indian  village.  Here  we 
met  the  hereditary  chief  of  the  Chippewas,  a  hard-featured,  spectacled  old  gentleman, 
engaged  in  building  a  boat.  Two  of  his  retainers  undertook  to  take  us  down  the 
rapids.  Poling  their  canoe  to  the  head  of  the  current  by  a  comparatively  quiet  course, 
we  descended  swiftly,  but  without  danger.  The  river  falls  eighteen  feet,  in  some  places 
with  much  fierceness,  but  the  descent  is  made  by  a  course  which  can  be  run  without 
excitement.  Indians  were  catching  white-fish  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids.  One  man  holds 
the  canoe  with  wonderful  skill  in  the  swift  current,  and  another  stands  in  the  bow  with 
a  large  scoop-net  some  three  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter.  This  he  drops  over  the 
noses  of  the  fish  as  they  swim  up  stream.  Drawing  the  scoopnet  towards  him,  the 
fisherman,  by  a  dexterous  twist,  closes  the  mouth  of  the  net  and  hauls  his  prize  aboard. 
In  the  spring  and  fall  large  quantities  of  fish  are  captured  in  this  way.  To  the  peculiar 
excellency  of  the  rapids  white-fish  we  bear  cordial  testimony. 


OF   THE   NORTH 


«^5 


It  is  nearly  two  centuries  and  a  half  since  the  Saiilt  Ste.  Marie  was  first  visited 
by  white  men.  In  1641  two  Jesuit  missionaries — Fathers  Raymbault  and  Jogues — 
pushed  their  explorations  as  far  as  this  place.  They  found  an  Indian  village  of  two 
thousand  souls  where  the  small  city  opposite  the  Canadian  town  now  stands.  On 
the  14th  of  June,  1671,  a  grand  council  assembled  here,  in  which  fourteen  Indian  tribes 
were  represented,  four  ecclesiastics  represented  the  Church,  and  one  Daumont  de  St. 
Lusson,  with  fifteen  of  his  followers,  represented  the  Government  of  Louis  the  Four- 
teenth. A  large  cross  was  blessed  by  one  of  the  Fathers  and  erected  on  a  hill,  while 
the  Frenchmen,  with  bare  heads,  sang  the  I'exilla  Regis.  After  certain  other  cere- 
monies, M.  de  St.  Lusson  stood  forth,  with  upraised  sword  in  one  hand  and  a  clod  of 
earth  in  the  other,  and  in  somewhat  bombastic  language  claimed  the  Sault,  as  also 
Lakes  Huron  and  Superior,  the  island  of  Manitoulin,  and  all  countrie.s,  rivers,  lakes,  and 
streams  contiguous  thereto,  as  the  sole  property  of  that  most  high,  mighty  and  renowned 
monarch.   His  Most  Christian   Majesty  the  King  of  France  and   Navarre. 

In  a  few  hours  after  leaving  the  Sault  we  are  on  the  bosom  of  Lake  Superior, 
When  the  surface  of  the  water  is  stirred  by  a  light  breeze,  just  enough  to  give  it  life 
and  energy,  when  fleecy  masses  of  cloud  float  over  the  sky  and  draw  lines  of  purplq 
across  the  deep,  it  is  delightful  to  sail  upon  the  mighty  lake,  in  its  broad,  mysterious 
expanse  worshipped  by  the  aborigines  as  a  god.  Much  of  such  delightful  sailing  the 
traveller  in  July  and  August  may  enjoy.  But  in  any  season  on  the  upper  lake.s,  light 
breezes  have  a  tendency  to  swell  into  what  landsmen  consider  gales.  Stiff  nor'westers 
frequently  make  the  progress  of  the  steamboat  slow  and  laboured.  At  such  times  the 
invitation  of  the  dinner-bell  meets  with  no  response  from  two-thirds  of  the  passengers  ; 
social  intercourse  languishes,  and  one  is  thrown  upon  his  own  reflections  for  entertain- 
ment. And  food  for  reflection  the  prospect  of  sea  and  sky  affords.  What  beauty  there 
is  in  it  all !  though  by  sea-sick  or  half  sea-sick  passengers  for  the  most  part  unregarded. 
The  rainbow  springing  from  the  prow ;  the  dark-green  waves  overlaid  with  glances 
and  flashes  of  blue ;  the  fantastic  shapes,  the  mysterious  shadings  and  colourings  of 
the  clouds — as  restless  as  the  waters  below — proclaim  that  even  in  the  midst  of  an 
uncomfortable  gale,  we  are  surrounded  by  infinite  forms  of  divinest  beauty.  The  limit 
of  our  knowledge  limits  our  appreciation  of  these  things.  If  we  could  trace  the  cause 
of  each  change  in  the  ever-qhanging  heavens,  marking  the  invisible  ministers  of  God's 
power  as  they  "  post  o'er  earth  and  ocean  without  rest,"  what  a  book  of  inexhaustible 
interest  would  lie  always  open  before  us  ! 

Michipicoten  House,  a  post  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  is  almost  the  only  bit 
of  life  on  the  desolate  northern  shore  of  Lake  Superior  between  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie 
and  Nepigon  River.  At  Michipicoten  Island,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the 
same  name,  the  steamer  makes  a  short  stoppage.  Nine  miles  from  the  land-locked 
harbour    are    mines    of    native    copper,    worked    by    a    wealthy    partnership    of    English 


I 


11 
I 


1 

i 


lU' 


66. 


PJCTURliSQUE  SPOTS 


o 

Id 

a. 

» 

y 
< 

o 
a 

2 
z 

to 


OF   rilR  NORTH 


67 


•A 


o 

2 
z; 

D 


capitalists.  A  \\\x<^v.  and  profitable  yield,  comparing  favourably  with  thtit  of  the 
famous  Hecla  and  Caliinwl   mines  on  the  south  shore,   is  looked  for. 

The  existence  of  minerals  on  Michipicoten  Island  was  known  to  the  savages  who 
lived  about  Lake  Superior,  as  appears  from  the  records  of  the  Jesuit  l-athcrs,  the 
first  luiropean  explortirs.  Tlu;  working  of  the  mineral  deposits,  however,  was  not 
begun  till  two  centuries  .ifter  the  Jesuits  announced  their  existenc(\  Stranger  than 
this,  then;  is  evidence  that  a  race  far  oKler  than  the  savages  with  whom  the  i'athe.a 
conversed — a  race  of  which  little  more  is  now  known  than  that  it  existed — must 
have  been  extracting  copper  from  the  mines  of  Lake  Su])eri()r  long  before  Columbus 
set  forth  to  discover  a  n('w  world.  These  people  arc;  supi)()seil  to  b(;  the  Mound 
Builders.  In  the  mounds,  which  are  their  only  memorials,  cojjper  ornaments  have  been 
found.  The  Indians  of  the  days  of  Jesuit  exploration  had  no  knowU'dge  of  mining 
nor  skill  in  working  metals. 

\V(,"  are  beginning  to  realize  that  we  have  a  respectable  sea-voyage  on  iiaiul.  The 
steamer  has  already  made  some  460  miles;  Duluth,  at  the  end  of  the  lake,  is  350  miles 
farther,  so  that  those  who  take  the  round  trip — Collingwood  to  Duluth,  ami  return- 
travel  in  all  about  1600  miles  by  water.  Tl^'-r  is  plainly  a  demand  upon  the  cordiality 
of  fellow-passengers.  "We  hadn't  a  nice  crowd  on  board,  outside  ourselves,"  remarked 
a  tourist,  "  but  we  amused  ourselves  by  satirizing  them  all  the  way  down."  A  method 
not  to  be  recommended,  if  the  voyage  is  to  be  a  pleasant  one. 

Every  one  who  has  heard  of  Lake  .Superior  has  heard  of  the  Nepigon.  "It  is  th(; 
finest  trout-stream  in  America,"  as  an  enthusiastic  New-Yorker,  who  met  us  on  the  pier 
at  Red  Rock,  declared.  A  strait,  bay,  river,  and  lake,  on  the  north  shore  of  Superior, 
about  midway  between  the  Sault  and  Duluth,  all  bear  the  name  of  Nepigon.  In  the 
strait  the  tourist  makes  the  acquaintance  of  the  trap,  the  characteristic  rock  of  this 
northern  region.  Thrust  u|)  from  the  interior  of  the  earth  in  a  molten  condition,  and 
cooled  in  perpendicular  lines  or  columns,  it  forms  a  massive  sea-wall  on  the  north  iii.V^^ 
of  Lake  .Superior — lofty,  abru[)t,  and  indented.  A  huge  mass  of  trap  fifteen  miles 
long,  and  in  places  more  than  a  thousand  feet  high,  cuts  off,  with  some  smaller  islands, 
Nepigon    Bay  from   the   lake,  and   l)ears   the  name  of  St.    Ignace. 

Entering  Nepigon  strait  to  the  west  of  St.  Ignace,  we  passed  between  frowning 
walls  of  columnar  tra[),  recalling  the  familiar  pictures  of  Fingal's  Cave.  b'or  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  at  the  top  the  rock  presents  a  precipitous  face  ;  below  this,  the 
dSris  of  broken  trap,  torn  down  i)y  the  action  of  frost  and  time  a  confused  pile  of 
titanic  blocks,  slopes  into  the  pale-green  waters.  Under  the  cliffs,  ranged  like  battle- 
ments on  either  side,  we  passed  into  Nepigon  Bay.  The  bay,  some  thirty  miles  long 
and  twelve  miles  wide,  is  one  of  three  estuaries  in  this  irregular  coast  lying  in  close 
proximity  to  one  another.  Black  Bay  and  Thunder  Bay,  both  of  which  run  inland  for 
some  forty  miles,   are    the    other    two.       Out  of    the    north-west    corner   of    the    bay   we 


1 

hi! 


68 


I'lCl  i  RliSQUli  S/V/S 


%h 


KV.n     ROCK. 

steam  into  a  winding  river, 
and  in  a  short  time  see  the 
red  roofs  and  white  houses 
of  the  Hudson's  Ray  post  at 
Red  Rock.  Why  the  place 
should  be  so  called  is  not  at 
first  apparent.  Immediately 
about  the  post  there  is  no 
rock  of  any  kind,  though 
near  by  there  are  fine  ex- 
posures of  columnar  trap. 
Also  in  the  neighbourhood 
there  is  found  a  soft,  red 
:andstone  of  which  the  Indians  make  their  pipes,  and  this  gives  its  name  to  the  station. 


OF  run  north 


69 


Here  we  hid  fjood-l)y  to  stcaml)()at  navij^ation,  ami  prepare  to  take  to  the  canoe 
and  tent.  It  is  no  more  possihU;  to  s(!e  the  north  siiore  of  Lake  Superior  from  a 
steamboat  than  it  woiiid  he  to  see  the  Alps  from  a  railway  train.  John  Kiiskin  says 
that  travellin<;  i)y  rail  is  not  travellinjj^  at  all — it  is  simply  ^oing  from  on<  phuc  to 
another.  As  compared  with  canoeinjj.  we  are  compelled  to  pass  a  similar  verdict  upon 
travellinjr  by  steamer.  Many  people  who  have  heard  heforehand  of  the  pictiirescpie 
shores  of  the  upper  lakes  make  the  round  trip,  and  come  hack  with  the  conviction 
that  the  scenery  is  overrated.  An  endless  sky-line  of  inhospitahle  cliffs,  viewed  over 
seas  uncomfortably  rough,  varied  once  and  ajj^ain  by  a  closer  glimpse  of  some  com- 
manding headland,  does  not  afford  an  exciting  panorama.  lUit  these  same  coasts, 
visited  at  leisure  in  a  small  boat— ^the  bays  and  islands  explored,  the  rivers  followed 
up — reveal  scenes  of  surpassing  loveline.ss.  If  there  is  disappointment  when  the  north 
shor(!  is  visited  in  this  way,  \.\w.  fault  lies  with  the  traveller,  not  with  the   country. 

The  Nepigon  has  become  of  late  years  a  resort  for  sportsmen.  The  trout  are 
magnificent,  and  in  the  <;arly  jiart  of  the  season — June  and  July — are  caught  in  astonishing 
numbers  ;  si.\  and  seven  ])ounds  are  ordinary  sizes.  There  is,  too,  a  peculiar  delicacy 
in  a  trout  caught  by  your  own  rod,  and  cooked  before  the  fire  on  sticks — spatch-cock 
fashion — within  ten  minutes  after  it  has  left  the  water.  The  fish  bite  best  when  the 
flies  do,  and  neither  flies  nor  fish  at  this  late  season  were  lively ;  though  the  latter 
would  have  been  considered  so  in  any  less  famous  stream. 

Though  our  visit  to  Nepigon  was  not  for  fish,  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  landing 
some  five-pounders,  and  our  table  was  always  sufficientlj'  supplied.  The  trout  are  caught 
at  the  foot  of  any  swift  rapid,  hut  there  are  certain  large  "pools"  where  rare  sport 
may  always  he  relied  upon.  The  pool  is  a  good-sized  basin,  below  a  strong  rapid 
or  fall.  The  water  rushes  over  the  fall  and  across  the  basin  with  great  violence ;  it 
then  turns  back  and  swirls  around  the  edge  of  the  pool  to  the  foot  of  the  fall  in  a 
strong  eddy.  In  the  edtly,  under  logs  half  hid  in  creamy  foam,  or  in  holes  over  which 
the  current  runs  s\viftl\-,  lie  the  big  trout,  ready  to  dart  like  lightning  at  the  gaudy 
fly,  or  later  in  the  season  at  the  shining  spoon  or  minnow.  The  latter  method  is  of 
course  voted  unsportsmanlike ;  but  sportsmen  have  to  adopt  it  in  August  and  Septem- 
ber. In  the  decline  of  the  fur-trade  in  these  parts  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  do  a 
large  business  in    supplying  fishermen  with  stores   and  tackle. 

"A.    B.    &    C.    D.: 

"In  account  with 

"THE     COMPANY    OF    ADVENTURERS    OF    ENGLAND 
TRADING     INTO     HUDSON'S    BAY. 


tion. 


"To  Onk  C.\.\  ok  Peaciiks, 


$0.40. 


70 


PICTURE  SQL  K   SPOTS 


immm 


OF    THE  NORTH 


>:  r* 


SI'l.ll      km  K. 


It   Struck   lis  tiiat 


Ins   woiilil    ha\r  louki'd    miiircssuc 


1)111 


111  rciKlcniiL;  tiu-ir  accounts 


tin-   successors  of    Prince    Rupert   and   his   ^ciuleiiiaii   associates  do   not   use   their    lull   cor- 


porate  titl 


iuil;     utensils,   and 


t\v 


Ha\in!:^-  secured   a   canoe,   a  siiriicient    store   of  i)ro\isions  and    cam] 
o    lialf-hreeds      the    pure   aboriginal    seems   still    to    avoid   the    borders  of    civilization — 


72 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


f\ 


we  commenced  our  progress  up  the  river.  Along  the  lakes  and  streams  which  from 
time  immemorial  have  been  his  highways,  the  red  man  of  the  woods  has  wandered  from 
early  spring  to  late  autumn,  hunting,  fishing,  loitering,  fighting,  bearing  with  him  his 
family  and  household  gods,  and  setting  up  his  wigwam  wherever  for  the  tin.e  it  sr.ited 
him  to  dwell.  Upon  these  waterways  his  conveyance  has  invariably  been  the  birch-bark 
canoe,  and  nothing  has  ever  been  constructed  by  man  more  perfectly  adapted  to  the 
purposes  required.  A  skin  of  the  tough  outer  bark  of  the  white  birch,  sewed  together 
with  the  fibrous  roots  of  the  spruce,  tightly  stretched  over  a  thin  lining  and  ribs  of 
cedar,  the  seams  daubed  with  the  resinous  gum  of  the  pine  or  tamarack — such  is  the 
Indian  canoe,  light,  strong,  and  buoyant,  simply  constructed  and  easily  repaired. 
Modelled  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  a  duck's  breast,  it  floats  like  a  bubble  on  the 
water,  and,  if  not  too  deeply  laden,  will  ride  safely  over  seas  sufficient  to  swamp  an 
ordinary  boat.  Astonishingly  easy  to  be  upset  by  a  novice,  it  is,  in  experienced  hands, 
the  safest  and  most  stable  of  crafts,  and  it  is,  of  all,  the  most  picturesque.  Exquisitely 
graceful  in  form  and  curvature,  the  varied  orange  and  brown  of  its  exterior  contrasts 
brightly  with  the  transparent  reflections  of  the  river.  Stealing  noiselessly  along  by  the 
banks,  under  the  overhanging  branches,  or  appearing  unexpectedly  round  a  point,  it 
forms  just  the  spot  of  colour,  and  touch  of  life  and  human  interest,  which  make  the 
wild  and  lonely  scene  a  picture. 

Between  the  great  Lake  Nepigon — Annimibigon,  "lake  that  you  cannot  sec  the  end 
of " — and  the  post  at  Red  Rock,  there  are  four  lesser  lakes  bearing  the  commonplace 
names  of  Helen,  Jessy,  Maria,  and  Kmma.  Till  we  reached  the  head  of  Lake  Jessy 
the  scenery  was  not  what  our  imagination  had  conceived.  From  this  point  there  is  no 
room  for  disappointment.  Passing  through  the  narrow  gate  by  which  the  river  llows 
into   Lake  Jessy,  we  enter  an  enchanted  land. 

We  are  amongst  the  trap  again,  having  for  Some  time  been  in  the  region  of  the 
tamer  granite.  The  stream  is  deep  and  swift,  flowing  in  a  narrow  channel  of  rock,  un- 
tainted and  clear.  The  lofty  walls  on  either  hand  undulate,  and,  jutting  out  into  liead- 
lands,  overlap  each  other,  so  that  we  seem  to  be  travelling,  link  by  link,  a  chain  of 
beautiful  lakelets.  The  colours  of  the  rocks  are  most  vivid.  At  a  short  distance  they 
are  suffused  with  a  haze  of  rose-pink  ;  on  approach  we  distinguish  the  different  lichens 
which  deck  their  hard  features  in  gay  colours — orange  and  yellow,  green  and  gray,  in 
^very  shade.  The  exquisitely  pure  water,  the  splintered  crags  lichen-painted,  the  silver- 
stemmed  birches,  aspen-poplars,  and  balsams  crowning  the  banks  conspire  to  make  ideal 
scenes. 

At  Split  Rock  a  mountain  of  tra|)  rises  from  the  centre  of  the  river-bed,  splitting 
the  stream  mto  two  branches,  for  a  distance  of  about  a  (piarter  of  a  mile.  The  water, 
crowded  into  two  narrow  channels,  pours  down  on  each  side  of  this  huge  wedge  in 
impa.ssable  torrents.       As  we    approach    the    foot  of    the    rapid    the  way  seems  barred  to 


OF   THE  NORTH 


72 


LAKK     HELEN. 


farther  pro_£jres<5,  while  foam  encircles  the 

dividinjT    island,   and  the    sheer  slopes    to 

the    rit^ht    and    left    show  little    prospect 

of  a  practicable  pathway.      Still  our   Indians    paddle 

on.      A  dark  cliff  projects    from   the   left,   prolonijed 

by  a  little  island.       Round    this    an    unexpected    edtly  sweeps 

our    canoe     into    a    tiny     bay,     with     a    cpiiet     laniliny;-place. 

The  portafje  path  winds  close  to  the  brink  of  the  rapid, 
around  trees,  and  over  rocks.  Alont:^  it,  with  cautious  tread,  our  guides  move  liL,ditly, 
under  loads  which,  to  an  unaccustomeil  eye.  would  seem  incredible.  We  lins^cr,  for 
this  rippliny^  pool,  partly  shaded  by  thick  foliacje  and  just  flecked  with  sunlight,  must 
be  the  lurking-place  of  trout.  From  a  stone  of  vantage  a  lly  is  cast,  well  out  "n 
the  stream.  A  (juick  tlash,  a  little  whirl  on  the  water,  and  the  reel  Hies  round.  A 
big  trout,  in  search  of  a  dinni-r,  dashes  off  in  short-lived  triumph.  Finding  himself  a 
captive,  he  darts  to  and  fro  in  terror.  Turning  on  his  side  hv.  bends  double,  anil 
strives  again  and  again  to  leap  from  the  merciless  line.  A  cruel  sport,  after  all,  we 
cannot  help  feeling,  as  with  a  passing  .sense  of  pity,  we  hold  the  bending  rod  firm,  and 
wait  till   the  death-struggle    of  the  beautiful   creature   is  over. 

Meanwhile  a  couple  of  canoes  of  Lake  Nepigon  Indians,  on  their  way  home  from 
Red  Rock,  the  metropolitan  centre  of  this  region,  have  landed.  Most  carefulK  the 
canoes  are  beached,  and  their  contents  lifted  out.  A  strapping  young  fellow,  with 
copper-coloured    face    and    long    black    hair,   takes    the   first     load.      .\    large    bo.x    is    first 


m 


74 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


wMmLiiy.:..  * 


OF    THE  NORTH 


75 


CAMI'IXG     CROUND     AT     THK     rOUTAC;!-: 


swiini;  at  his  hack,  l)\'  a  broad  leather  strap  which  crosses  his  I'orelieail.  I'his  serves 
for  a  toundation.  L'pon  it  his  comrades  ia\'  a  l)a!4  "f  Ihnir.  o\u\  iuimh-eil  weight  at 
least.  Next  comes  a  roll  ol  blankets,  and  a  miscellaneous  i)undle  on  lop  of  all.  .\n  axe 
is  i)ut  in  his  belt,  he  picks  up  his  ,i;im,  and  oil  he  i^^mes  contentedly,  traversing;"  without 
a  stumble  tiie  rock\'  path  which  we  Imd  it  hard  enough  to  ])ass  unincumheretl.  All  the 
part} .  men  and  women,  are  also  lailen  ;  the  canoe,  turned  bottom  up  anil  poised  ujion 
his  shoulders,   forminj^r  the  last   man's  load. 

.\s  a  matter  of  conxcnience  the  porta_!j^es  are  usually  selected  as  campinj^-grounds. 
At  the  upi)er  end  of  this  one  we  ])itch  our  tent  in  a  rarely  beautiful  spot.  The; 
rocks  rise  hijj^h  about  us  like  ihe  walls  of  a  mountain  carton.  Throunh  our  tent-door 
we  gaze   upon  a   pl.icid   |)0()1,   in   strong-  contrast   with    the    cataract   hard   by,   whose   voice, 


76 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


111  : 


subdued  to  a  murmur,  intensifies  the  sense  of  utter  stillness  sujrgested  by  the  pool. 
The  busy  river  seems  to  have  turned  aside  here  for  a  few  moments'  meditation,  as  a 
Londoner  might  turn  into  St.  Paul's  Cathedral.  If  this  be  a  church,  those  little 
emerald  islands  are  two  kneeling  maidens,  and  the  gaunt  pine  which  just  looks  in  at 
the  entrance  is  a  storm-beaten  prodigal,  in  whose  heart  ihe  resolve  is  dimly  forming  to 
arise  and  go  to  his  father. 

Up  stream  we  make  but  slow  way  against  the  strong  current  of  the  Nepigon,  now 
helped  by  the  edilies  which  sweep  us  up  below  the  bends,  now  shooting  into  the  cur- 
rent and  plying  the  i)addles  with  quick  muscular  strokes  till  we  pass  the  jutting  point, 
and  regain  our  breath  in  the  quieter  pool  above.  Down  stream  we  have  less  work  and 
more  fun.  Out  in  mid-channel,  courting  instead  of  dodging  the  current,  we  glide 
smoothly  down  the  rippling  waters,  now  swiftly,  now  slowly,  pausing  to  throw  a  fly  to 
a  big  trout  in  an  eddy,  or  lazily  watching  the  panorama  of  rock  and  foliage,  moss  and 
lichen,  fern  and  flower,  endless  in  variety  of  colour  and  endlessly  varied  in  the  mirror 
below.  Lulled  by  a  low  roar,  like  the  sound  of  the  distant  sea,  which,  growing  louder, 
warns  us  of  a  cataract  not  to  be  too  closely  approached,  we  scan  the  shore  for  the 
familiar  signs  of    the  portage  landing. 

Over  a  mile  and  a  half  of  bare,  burnt  granite  ledges,  in  the  blazing  noonday  sun, 
the  heavy  packs  and  canoes  have  been  carried  ;  a  mile  and  a  half  farther  across  a  high 
hill  the  portage  still  stretches  its  weary  length.  We  reach  a  small  stream  which  leads 
into  the  river  proper  at  a  point  where,  after  tos:,ing  and  tumbling  for  a  mile  or  more 
in  foaming  thunder,  it  is  comparatively  quiet.  Below  are  two  smaller  rapids,  over 
which  we  are  tempted  to  run  the  canoe  and  save  the  rest  of  the  portage.  The  In- 
dians, who  are  cautiousness  itself,  consent  to  go  down  light ;  the  packs  must  be  after- 
wards carried  by  the  path.  The  canoe  is  launched  again.  The  first  rapid  is  intricate, 
and  dangerous  from  the  sunken  rocks  and  startling  passages  through  which  the  canoe 
is  guided  with  unerring  skill.  Then  a  wide  still  pool,  a  sharp  turn,  and  a  long  dark 
slope,  with  a  white  fringe,  as  to  the  meaning  of  which  there  can  be  no  mistake,  at  the 
bottom.  The  I)owman,  who  has  not  been  here  before,  looks  at  it  with  some  dismay, 
but  it  is  too  late  to  draw  back.  He  whips  off  his  jacket,  quickly  unwinds  and  regirds 
his  sash,  and  is  ready  for  a  swim.  "Sit  down  low!"  is  his  warning  shout.  With 
bated  breath  we  are  glancing  down  the  swift  incline  ;  with  poised  paddles  we  reach 
the  great  curls  which  lift  their  crests  where  the  dark  purple  water  breaks  into  white. 
In  mill-stream  they  are  highest,  fia.shing  up  in  great  masses  of  spray,  but  with  a  few 
dexterous  side-strokes  of  the  paddles,  they  are  avoided,  and  almost  before  we  know  it, 
we  are  tossed  safely  into  the  eddy  far  jjelow  the  fall.  "Very  big  water"  is  the  pitiiy 
remark  of  the  Indian  as  he  looks  hack  at  the  great  white  waves,  already  small  in  the 
distance,    and  points  the  bow  to  the  beach  at  the  lower  end  of  the  portage. 

Gladly  would   we  have  lingered  in   summer  idleness   upon  the  lucid   stream  of    beau- 


OF   THE  NORTH 


n 


tiful    Nepifjon,  l)iit  other    scenes    called  us  westward    still.      Steaming  out  again  between 
the  walls  of  "^^raiJ,   we  passed  over  the  rough  billows  of  Superior  to  Thunder   Hay. 

Thunder  Hay  is  the  most  westerly  of  the  great  inlets  which  have  been  mentioned. 
At  its  entrance  Thunder  Cape,  the  extremity  of  a  long,  rock)-  peninsula,  rising 
abrupt!)'  to  a  height  of  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  is  the  eastern  janitor  of  what 
the  Marquis  of  Lome  has  named  the  "Silver  Gate  of  Lake  Superior."  To  the  west, 
eighteen  or  twenty  miles  across  tiie  water,  the  dark  mass  of  McKay's  Mountain 
looms  up.  Pie  Island  lies  in  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  like  a  huge  monitor  at  anchor. 
These  three  gigantic  uph(;avals  dominate  the  scene.  They  sit  in  massive  dignity, 
superior  to  all  surrounding  objects,  like  the  three  emperors,  each  with  a  cloudy  crown 
about  his  brow.  As  we  entered  the  bay  on  a  gloomy  and  tempestuous  morning, 
Thunder  Cape  stood  out  against  a  fierce  red  sky.  Ragged  clouds  out  of  the  north- 
west trailed  across  his  forehead.  A  fit  abode  it  seemed  for  the  storm-spirit,  this  cloud- 
canopied  bay,  with  its  three  grim  sentinels  half  wrapped  in  creeping  mists. 

Thunder  Cape  from  the  south-west  has  the  outlines  of  a  couchant  lion,  the  highest 
elevation  forming  the  head  and 
breast,  while  a  spur  of  lesser 
height  forms  the  llank.  Hut 
viewed  in  profile  from  the 
north  or  south,  the  ridge  has 
the  appearance  of  a  sleeping 
giant.  About  this  colossal  form 
float    many  vague    legends,    of 


SHOOTING     THK     RAPmS. 


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C.IANT. 

which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  obtain  from  the  Indians  a  connected  account.  It  is 
agreed  that  the  giant  who  lies  there  with  his  face  to  the  sky,  like  a  marble  knight 
upon  his  tomb,  is  one  Ninnabijou — the  Nanabiish  or  Manabozho  referred  to  in  the 
'itroduction  to  the  "Jesuits  in  North  America" — an  Ojibway  Hercules  who  performed, 
before  his  lamented  demise,  many  remarkable  feats  of  prowess.  As  to  how  he  came 
to  make  Thunder  Cape  his  last  resting-place,  the  authorities  differ.  However  tiiat 
may  be,  the  giant  who  there  sleeps  the  sleep  which  the  sun  rising  over  him  each  morn- 
ing will  never  disturb,  will  remain  to  the  citizens  of  the  town  which  is  growing  up  on 
the  shore  of  Thuiuler  Hay,  a  memorial  of  the  race  who  once  held  undisputed  sway 
over  forest  and  stream. 

McKay's  Mountain,  though  not  so  lofty  as  the  Cape,  is  quite  as  promincMit  a  fea- 
ture in  the  landscape.  It  lifts  its  huge  bulk  into  the  sky,  from  the  right  bank  of  the 
Kaministicpiia  River,  like  Behemoth  coming  out  of  the  water  to  sun  himself.  We 
rowed  some  distance  up  the  bax  from  Prince  Arthur's  Landing,  to  the  mouth  of  Cur- 
rent River,  and  took  a  good  look  at  McKay,  ten  miles  off.  How  solitlly  he  stands, 
immovable  as  on(!  of  the  pillars  of  the  earth  ;  and  vet  McKay  and  all  this  iron-ribbed 
coast  were  once  a  mist  as  impalpable  as  the  lexcl  plain  of  clouds  abo\e.  I'lx'en  now 
the  mountain  slowl\-  l)ut  certainlv  moves  to  tlissolution.  Tlu;  very  cloutl  which  he  him- 
self begets  feeds  u|)on  him;  (;verv  rain-ilrop  helps  to  eat  away  some  particle;  the 
winter-frost  delights  in  the  s[)ort  of  gnawing  big  fragments  from  his  sides.  The  les- 
son   of    these    mighty  rock-masses    is,  after   all,   not    one    of    permanence,  but    of   decay. 


8o 


PICTURESQUE  SPOi  S 


They  all  proclaim   that  tlic  true  substanco    is    not  that    which    mcots  tiic    v\v  and   hand. 
'I'hese  things  arc  shadows,   all   in   th<-ir  time   to  melt   into   "  thin   air."   until   at    Icnj^rth, 


'I'lic    ili)ii(l-i-.i|)|)<'il    iducrs,    ilic   ^or^'i'diis    p.iliices, 
'I'liL'   solfiiiii    temples,    tlif   (,'itMi   kIoIic  ilsflf, 
Yea,  all    whiili    it    iiihcril,   shall    (lissolvc, 
And,    like  an   insiil)staiitlal    |>aj;L-ant    luded, 
Leave    not    ,i    r.uk    helilnd. 


Prince  Arthur's  Landint^.  so  nainc'd  by  ihc  ot'ticcrs  of  Colonel  W'olsclcy's  expedition 
to  the  Red  River  settlcniciU  in  kS^o,  is  a  town  of  twelve  himdrcd  i)co|)lr  and  larife 
hojx's.  Between  the  Landin<,(  and  the  town  plot  of  I'ort  William,  once  intended  for 
the  Lake  Superior  terminus  ol  the  Canatlian  Pacific  Railway,  there  exists  a  deadly 
rivalry.  The  former  stands  on  the  north  shore  of  Thunder  Hay.  on  s^rromid  that  rises 
gradualh',  and  offers  an  excellent  site  for  a  city.  What  there  is  of  the  place  is  busi- 
ness-like. The  six  miles  of  railway  which  connect  it  with  the  Canadian  Pacific  roail  at 
the  Kaministicjuia,  were  originally  built  b\-  the  pi-ople  of  the  town.  The  Landing 
will  probably  become  one  of  the  chief  summer  watering-places  of  tin;  jx'ople  of  Mani- 
toba and  the  West — a  spot  where  they  may  meet,  amid  beautiful  scenery  and  bracing 
air,  their  fellow-countrymen  of  the  P^ast. 

One  forgets  that  tht;  Landing  is  within  the  limits  of  Ontario,  over  700  miles  from 
the  capital  of  the  Province,  as  it  is.  The  ideas  of  the  people  are  not  those  of 
Ontario.  Mining  is  the  chief  topic  of  conversation,  and  the  expected  source  of  wealth. 
Just  outside  of  Thunder  Cape  the  traveller  sees  a  few  wooden  structures  standing  on  a 
pier  or  crib  about  a  mile  from  the  shore.  This  is  tht;  famous  Silver  Islet,  originally  a 
few  feet  of  rock  above  the  surface  of  the  lake,  offering  the  only  avenue  of  approach 
to  vast  stores  of  hidden  wealth.  Ten  years  ago  an  excavation  was  made  in  the  little 
protrusion  of  rock,  which  disclosed  a  rich  pocket  of  silv(M-.  The  lumps  of  (piartz  first 
taken  out,  seamed  with  silver  ore,  served,  for  tht:  time,  in  the  construction  of  cribs, 
to  protect  the  mouth  of  the  shaft  from  the  inroads  of  the  waves.  I'arther  mining 
revealed  the  fact  that,  under  the  water,  there  was  a  silver  mine  of  unknown  extent  and 
value.  Three  million  dollars  in  silver  came  out  of  it  in  the  first  ten  years,  though 
the  expenses  of  working  and  protecting  the  mine  are  said  to  have  about  ecpialled  that 
sum.  To-day  the  roof  of  the  mine  contains  a  fortune  in  silver,  which — oh,  bitterness 
to  the  cupidity  of  man  I — cannot  lie  touched  without  admitting  the  waters  of  Lake 
Superior,  to  the  conclusion  of  all  farther  operations.  Mining  locations  and  prospect- 
ings.  quartz  and  blende,  amygdaloid  and  mica,  occujjy  a  large  space  in  the  thoughts 
of  most  of  the  Landing  peo]jle.  We  found  three  silver  mines  in  active  operation, 
with  any  number  of  abandon(;d   shafts.      What    the    extent  of  the    silver    deposit    on   the 


OF   THH  NORTH 


THUNDER     BAY. 


north  shore  may  be  it  is  impossible  to  j^iujss.  Tht-  world  may  b<;  dazzled  sonu-  day 
b\-  tiic  disc()\(;ries  of  san^^uiiie  "  prospectors "  whom  one  is  sure  to  meet  in  the 
country.  L^p  to  this,  however,  tht;  universal  experience  has  been  that  there  is  nothini; 
truer  than   the  Spanish   proverb,   "It    takes  a  mine  to  work    a    mini;." 

brom    Prince     Arthur's    Landin*^  west  to   Pijjjeon    River — ^the  boumlary    between   our 
own   country  and   the   Ignited   States — the  coast    is  particularly  bold   and  irret^ular.      One 


82 


PICl  URliSQL'E   srOTS 


afternoon  we  steamed  away  westward  in  one  of  tlic  tu^s  which  afford  the  s|)e(!diest 
m(!ans  of  local  transit  in  this  rcj^ion.  Our  way  h'cl  us  tirst  to  I'ic  Islaiul,  a  chain  of 
unshapely  trap  uplieavals,  incniasinj,'  in  hcij,'ht  till,  in  tlie  Pie  proper,  900  or  1,000 
feet  are  attained.  To  tiiose  who  connect  the  idea  of  "pic"  with  the  tlat  and  some- 
what deleterious  construction  held  in  esteem  hy  our  American  kinsfolk,  or  the  "deep" 
apple  pie  whose  recesses  the  I'.nj^dishman  explores  with  zest,  there  is  at  first  a  diffi- 
culty in  traiin>,r  any  identity  between  a  pii'  .ind  the  cistern-shaped  mass  of  rock 
in  Thunder  Hay.  Hut  in  time  it  dawns  upon  us  that  the  mutton  <u-  pork-pie  is  that 
variety  of  the  species  wiiicli  led  the  l'"ren(h  to  name  the  Island  "  1-e  p;\te,"  and  the 
English  to  adopt  tli<'  present  title.  ,\l  a  distance  the  base;  of  I'ie  Island  seems  to  he 
thickly  clothed  with  brushwood.  (  )n  approai  h  we  fm<l  this  to  be  a  dense  iorest  <jf 
birch  and  poplar.  The  \crlical  columns  of  nxk  rise;  sheer  for  a  heii:^lu  ol  four 
hundreil    feet,    out    of     the     usual    confused    mass    of    debris.       A     ^ra\     cloud     suddenly 


'     '"^^^Bk''  "*i^M 

\  3ii 

iH^ 

,                                  i 
J 

n. 

THIC     UliSERTKIJ     .MINI:. 


OF   run   NORTH 


»3 


wreaths  itself  about  the  summit,  and  almost  as  suddenly  vanishes  away.  The  trap  up 
to  the  lop  is  of  a  dark  Jjray  colour,  wilii  nddish  stains  like  spots  of  iron  rust.  These 
are  n-ally  the  colourinj^r  of  the  tiny  oran},fe  liiiicn  \\lii(h  <  kcs  out  .i  luimi)lc  e.\istence 
on  tile  rocks  on  all  sides.  We  know  that  the  ^^reat  spots  of  red  which  hrij^hten  the 
somhri'   face  of   tlir    I'ie   nin*-  hundred   feel   from    its  hase,   are  constituted  of    myriad   tiny 


CAlir     w.\     VlCrOKlA     ISl.AMi. 


plants.  sJKiped  like  coral,  eacii  one  dis|)layin^  ininiiial)lc  workmanship.  I  low  wonderful 
is  this  ex(|uisite  jiarticularity  and  finish  in  every  detail  of  nature's  work,  ihoui^h  eye  of 
man  mav  never  rest  upon  it  ;  and  how  vain  to  imaij^ine  that  man's  delij^ht  alone  is 
consulted  in  the  ,L,dory  of  creation!  This  tin\  plant  thai  clinj^^s  to  the  ilark  rock  so 
far  beyond  our  reach,  teaches  us  that  thi'  realm  of  nature  ministers  not  only  pleasure 
to  cr(;ated  bein<^s.  but  to  the  Creator  that  joy  which  tlu;  artist  fc'els  in  his  work  when 
he  s(;(;s  that  it  is  j^ood — that  joy  whic:h  would  iu:ver  have  been  in  the  mind  of  Raphael 
anil    Turner   had  it   not  hrst  been   in   the  mind   of  dod. 

Steamini:^  away  from  tint  Pie.  and  looking  back,  wt-  see  it  turbaned  ai,rain  with 
gray  cloud,  though  the  sky  is  (piite  clear  abo\c.  In  a  few  moments  there  is  a  shilt  in 
the  sun's  rays,  and  an  immec'iate  change  passes  over  the  mountain.  The  gray  cloud 
becomes  pure  white  ;  the  rock  from  green  and  gray  becomes  a  sombre  black.  Another 
shift,    and   in   an   instant  the  green  and  gray  again  appear  ;    the  effect   is   just  that  which 


84 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


is  produced  by  placins^  glass  slides  of  different  colours  between  an  object  and  the  elec- 
tric light.  It  is  a  fascinating  occupation  to  watch  the  play  of  the  sunlight  on  any  one 
of  the  three  imperial  guardians  of  Thunder  Bay.  We  have  seen  McKay  standing  a 
uniform  mass  of  deep  purple  against  the  sky;  through  a  sudden  rent  in  the  clouds  a 
stream  of  sunlight  is  poured  upon  iiis  forehead  ;  here  and  there  bits  of  gray  rock,  with 
the  vertical  lines  distinctly  traced,  shine  out,  and  gray  and  black  take  the  place  of  the 
purple ;  the  sun  at  length  draws  near  his  setting,  and  dyeing  the  mountain  in  rose 
pink,  causes  him  to  mingle  with  the  golden  curtains  which  minister  to  his  pomp  as  he 
retires  to  rest. 

Leaving  the  solemn  Pie  to  enter  with  such  serious  decency  as  it  may  into  the 
sportive  intentions  of  the  sun,  we  proceed  under  ])recipitous  forest-clad  shores  and  by 
numerous  beautiful  bays  to  Victoria  Island,  a  few  miles  from  the  boundary.  Here,  at 
nine  o'clock  at  night,  transferred  from  tiig  to  canoe,  we  grope  our  way  into  a  quiet 
inlet,  at  the  <,'nd  o'  which  the  wash  of  tlie  water  has  deposited  a  sandy  beach.  The 
canoe  is  d'awn  ashore.  Jean  Pierre,  our  guide,  and  his  faithful  assistant,  an  Indian 
lad  of  phenomenal  ugliness  whom  we  huve  nauK'd  Orson,  search  for  some  birch-bark 
and  soon  kindle  a  fir'^  It  crackles  and  blazes  UK^rrily,  deepening  the  surrounding 
darkness  and  thereby  intensifying  the  comfort  of  its  own  cheerful  glare.  The  shivering 
alders  seem  to  gather  in  closer  to  warm  themselves  at  tiie  pleasant  blaze.  A  level 
space  is  selected  for  our  tent ;  the  hatchets  ring,  as  the  tent-pole  and  pegs  are  cut. 
When  the  tent  is  spread  how  bright  the  interior,  with  the  tirelight  glancing  through 
the  canvas  walls  I  and  what  a  bed  for  a  king  the  twigs  of  the  aromatic  Ijalsam  make  I 
We  are  truly  sorr)-  for  tiie  man  who  has  not  the  opportunity  of  spending  a  fortnight 
in  "  campmg  out,"  that  Ik;  may  get  a  taste  of  that  life  "under  the  green-wood  tree" 
which   the  gootl   duke  in   the  forest  of  Arden  commends  so  feelingl)'. 

At  the  mouth  of  tiie  bay  where  wt;  are  encamped,  there  is  an  island  more  beau- 
tiful than  anything  we  iiave  seen  on  the  north  shore,  and  yet  there  are  doubtless 
many  like  it  in  this  endless  panorama  of  beauty,  defxing  descriptive  capacit)-  of  pen 
or  pencil;  awakening  thoughts  that  lie  t(>o  dee|)  for  tears;  tilling  the  mint!  with  thank- 
fulness, humility  and  awe,  as  they  suggest  intinilc  design,  and  power,  and  goodness. 
This  island  is  a  ruin.  '\\\v  de(!p  gashes  in  its  sides  ;  the  huge  boulders  strewn  in  \.\^q. 
water  at  its  feet,  or  clinging  loosely  about  its  summit,  threatening  to  tumble  at  a 
breath ;  the  uprooted  trees  entangled  one  with  another,  ami  hanging  headlong  down 
t''>e  .  if,  all  .speak  of  ruin.  Hut  it  is  ruin  softeneil  and  silvered  by  the  hand  of  age. 
Gray  mosses  droop  from  the  l)oughs  of  the  dea*'  cedars,  and  lichens  silver-gray  and 
^lale  gold,  deck  the  rock  in  milil  splendour.  Mosses  cushion  every  jutting  point  and 
promontory.  Ami  out  of  tiu.'  decay,  like  the  new  life  from  lM)[)es  that  are  dead,  a 
bright  young  vegetation  springs.  The  mountain  ash  and  spruce  lift  a  glory  of  tender 
^leen  above    their  fallen    companions;    the    alder    thrives    in    the    fissures,  and  a  modest 


OF   THE  NORTH 


85 


blue  floweret    here    anH    there    finds  a    home,  where  it    blooms  contentedly,  on  the  hard 
surface  of  the  rock  itself. 

On  one  side,  the  island,  so  eloquent  in  its  silent  beauty,  meets  the  full  sweep  of 
Lake  Superior.  The  winds  have  swept  the  high  cliffs  almost  clean  of  moss  and 
foliage,  and  great  square  boulders  bare  of  lichen  show  how  high  the  waves  reach. 

Shattering   011    black    blocks   their   breadth   ol   thi'iuler. 


rht 


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jest 


A  vein  of  quartz,  promising  silver,  has  in  some  past  day  indin.  mining  operations 
on  Victoria  Island,  which,  however,  have  not  led  to  anything  but  an  excavation  re- 
sembling' a  natural  cave.  Out  of  this,  witii  niimls  probably  in  a  happier  frame  than 
those  whose  unprofitable  labour  leaves  its  record  here,  we  gazed,  as  from  a  window, 
upon  our  own  peaceful  encampment  and  the  sheltered  bay.  Then  Ijidding  adieu  to 
this  wonder-land  we  folded  our  tents  and  turned  our  canoe  eastward  to  the  mouth  of 
the   Kaministiquia. 

Vast  as  Lake  Superior  is,  covering  with  water  an  area  of  some  32,000  square 
miles,  it  drains  a  comparatively  small  extent  of  territory,  and  is  fed  by  no  great 
river.  The  Nepigon  is  the  largest  of  its  streams;  the  Kaministiquia  next  in  im- 
portance ;  and  both  of  these  are  navigable  b\  large  vessels  for  only  a  few  miles. 
The  Kaministiquia  enters  Tluinder  l^ay  a  short  distance  south  of  Prince  Arthur's 
Landing  by  three  mouths.  Its  [)rincipal  attraction  to  tourists  consists  in  the  beauti- 
ful falls,  which,  by  a  strange  perversion  of  the  true  title,  have  come  to  bear  the 
name  of    the    Kakabeka    h'alls. 

To  visit  these  falls  and  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  Kaministitpiia,  we  took 
passage  on  a  construction  train  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  at  the  Landing. 
A  mile  or  two  from  the  village.'  a  powder-car,  containing  ten  tons  of  pure  oil  of 
nitro-glyccrine,  was  coupled  to  our  train,  causing  a  perceptible  sensation  amongst  the 
passengers.  Nitro-glyc°rine  is  not  a  pleasant  travelling  companion  under  the  most 
favourable  circumstances,  still  less  on  a  ])artially  constructed  railway  on  which  the 
cars,  in  the  expressive  dialect  of  the  rail,  indulge  in  the  sport  of  "  playing  on  their 
bearings."  From  the  Landing  for  several  miles  tlie  Pacific  Railway  runs  through  the 
low  fiat  valley  of  the  Kaministi(|uia.  The  scenery  is  uninteresting,  but  the  soil  gives 
promise  of  good  agricultural  returns.  At  the  Town  Plot  of  I'ort  William,  we  come 
upon  the  dark  ri\-er  washing  tlu^  base  of  McKay's  Mountain.  Some  miles  farther  on 
we  touch  the  river  again,  antl  look  ilown  upon  it  (lowing  swiftly  between  high  wooded 
banks.  Where  the  railway  bridge  crosses  tiie  stream,  near  its  junction  with  a  tribu- 
tary named  the  Mattawan,  we  take  leave  of  tiie  train  and  the  nitro-glycerine,  and 
embark  upon  the  water. 

W^e  are    now    one     hundred     ami    fifty    feet    or    more    above    the    level  of  tlie  lalrn. 


86 


''ICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


(A 


< 

2 
< 


OF   THE  XORTII 


87 


(IN      Mil       K  AMIMSnyi'IA. 


riuTc   is   nf)thin'_;'  stnkiiit;  in  the   lirst 

scN'Mi  <jr  ciLjht  miles  liclow  ihc  hridi^^e, 

akliouL^li     llif     ri\cr     winds     |>i-cttily. 

W'c    (lcsc:cn(l    nuniridus    i-;i|)iils.    some 

'iicrcly  strong  (•iirr<'iils.  others  lia\  ing 

a    considerate     iall.        !'lv'    water    is 

low,    and     the    canoe    re<iuires    skilful    manai^cmeui.       1  hoii^h   the  descent   is  slower   it    is 

more    pxciting.    as    there    is  constant    <lan,L;i'r    of    a    smash-up     ujion    ilie    hoidders    which 

protnide    on  all    sides,      liaptiste,    a  >^ri//led   ',ialfd>reed,   is   in   comuiaud,    and    excites  our 


88 


PICTl  'R  ESQ  I  rE   SP( )  'fS 


admiration  by  his  management.  He  knows  the  meaning  of  every  swirl  and  ripple 
in  the  stream.  Channels  which  in\ite  tin;  unwary  by  their  smooth  but  treacherous 
flow,  he  avoids  for  others  which  often  look  threatening  and  impassable.  Innocent- 
looking  circles  on  the  water  turn  out  to  be  boulders,  whose  tops  are  barely  wet. 
Baptiste,  w'th  a  strong  pole,  stands  upright  in  the;  bow,  ami  coolly  and  skilfully 
guides  us  in  a  tlevious  course  between  the  rocks.  Sometimes  he  checks  the  speed  of 
tl;.  canoe;  sometimes  holds  her  still  in  tlu:  swift  current,  while  he  deliberately  looks 
ahead  for  a  practicable  course.  By  a  slight  motion  of  tiie  hand  or  head  he  signifies 
his  commands  to  Pierre,  who  uses  a  paddle  in  the  stern.  The  expedition  sits  quiet. 
There  is  wark  here  which  we  know  nothing  about,  and  for  the  time  our  red  brothers 
are  o>  r  sujteriors.  We  are  eager  and  watchful.  A  slip,  a  false  strvjkt,  an  error  of 
judgment,  means  a  wrecked  canoe,  baggage  soaked  and  perhaps  lost,  a  plunge  nito 
the  boiling  fall,  and  possibly  something  more  serious.  We  trust  Baptiste  implicith'. 
At  some  of  the  rapids  we  are  compelled  to  use  the  portage,  and  at  a  place  where 
the  river  is  straitened  in  a  rocky  cleft  through  whicli  it  surges  impetuously,  we  haul 
our    canoe  ashore    and   pass    the  night.     The    ne.xt  iiay  we   reach    the  falls. 

We  have  said  that  "Kakabeka"  is  a  |)erversion  ;  the  true  name,  as  inquiry 
from  our  intelligent  guides  taught  ur-,  is  '•  Kakapikank,"  the  (^'s  havni^  the  sound  of 
aza,  as  in  Chippewa.  The  name  signifies  "  high  fall  "  ;  it  is  evidently  the  same  word 
as  Coboconk.  Jean  Pierre  assures  us  that  there  is  no  such  word  as  "  Kakabeka  "  in 
the  hulian  tongue;  "white  man  can't  say  it  right";  that  is  che  origin  of  the  mistake. 
The  fall  itself  is  as  beautiful  as  anything  on  the  continent.  Phe  river  meets  a 
vast  barrier  of  slate,  over  which  it  tumbles  into  a  chasm  cut  out  of  the  rock  by  the 
unceasing  flow  of  ages.  At  the  top  of  the;  cliff  the  water,  illumined  by  the  sun, 
comes  to  the  edge  in  a  band  of  purple  and  gold.  Thence  it  descends  a  heiglu  of 
more  than  a  hundred  feet,  a  mass  of  creamy,  fleecy  foam,  not  to  be  dc-'Tibed  l)\  pen 
or  brush, 

Along   tlie  cliff  to   fall,   anil    pause  and  fail,   did   seem. 

One  may  sit  by  the  hour  spell-bound  and  stuil\-  tlu'  motion  and  colour  of  this 
wondrous  creation.  The  foam  is  softer  in  appearance  than  the  tinesi  wool,  more  trans- 
lucent than  alabaster,  aiul  behind  it  the  more  solid  mass  of  falling  water  is  seen,  by 
gleams  and  flashes,  in  coloi  r  and  transparency  like  tiie  purest  amber.  The  spray  from, 
the  foot  of  the  fall  does  not  rise,  as  at  Niagara,  in  a  slumberous  cloud.  It  shor)ts 
into  the  air  at  a  sharp  angle  with  ini'iense  velocity  and  repeated  shocks  of  thumler, 
giving  the  impression  of  a  series  of  tremendous  exjflosions.  This  peculiarity  is  thie 
to  the  fact  that  the  water  falls  upon  a  hartl  stratum  of  rock,  from  which  it  is  dashed 
upwards  in  smoke,  as  from  a  floor  of    irarble.       As    our    lingering  gaze    rests    u|)on    th.e 


sJL^ --^-^ 


OF   77/ E  NORTH 


89 


leisure    doAii    tlui    stream. 


fall  at  some  distance,  the  soft,  white 
tiiini^-  looks  a  diffiTeiit  order  !)t 
heiiii^  from  the  surly  rocks  to  which 
it  is  chained.  I  )oomed  to  dwell  in 
a  rock\  prison,  which  it  tiecks  in 
verdant  l>eaut\'  with  m\  riad  cool 
lini'-ers,  it  is  sister  to  the  rainbow 
which,  ever  and  anon,  comes  out 
of  the   unseen    world   to    visit   it. 

Camping",    fishing;,    sketcliini,^,   ainl 
ameth}st-huntinL(^  we  procc  d  at  our 
At    one    campincr-crrountl    we    tind    the    frame    of    an    Indian 


90 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


'(V.  ! 


vapour-bath.       A    blanket,    thrown    over    the    frame    so    as    to 
exclude  the  air,  a  vessel  of  water,  some  stones    heated   in   the 
fire,    and  a  piece  of  brush  to  sprinkle  the    water    on    tlie    hot 
stones,  are  the  adjuncts    necessary  to    complete    tiiis  primitive 
sanitary    apparatus.       From    this    point  a    portaj^e  of    four   or 
five    miles  hrouLjht  us    to  a  charminij;    scene.       Hmeririnir  sud- 
denh'  from  the  woods,  a  prospect    quite  different  in  character 
from    anythin<r    which    the    ru}^>^ed    country  affords    else- 
where, broke  upon  us  at  a  moment's   notice.       We  stood 
on    the     edi^e    of    a    bluff    souk;    (;i^hty    feet 
hi_i,di.       At  our   feet  the  wayward    river    took 
the  shape  of  a  perfect  letter  S.      In  out;  circle, 
it  embraced    a    lovely  park-like    promontory, 
beautifully  wooded    with   drooping-  elms.      In 
the  other  circU;   lay    Fointe  tie    Meuron,  some 
farm-buildings  and  a  fiekl  of  ripenini;  wheat 
on   its   well-sunned  slope.      This  bris^ht  home- 
like spot   was   framed  by  the  bristlinj^  forest 
and    the    purple    hills,   McKay  on    the    flank 
overtopping  all. 

Pointe  de  Meuron  commemorates  in  its 
name  the  stirring  events  of  by-gone  da\s. 
It  is  so  called  from  some  soldiers  of  the  "  de 
Meuron  "   regiment  in  the  service  of  thi-  b^arl 

of  Selkirk,  stationed  here  by  that  nobleman  in  the  year  1816.  to  farm  and  trade. 
The  de  Meuron  regiment  was  formed  principally  of  Germans  and  I'icilniontest-  who 
had  been  forced  to  act  as  conscripts  in  the  army  of  Honaparte.  Tlu'y  subscfpiently 
served  in  the  British  arm\-,  under  Col.  de  Meuron,  ami  lx;ing  disbanded  at  the  close 
of  the  Peninsular  war,  a  numiier  of  them  joined  the  PLarl  of  Selkirk  as  settlers  for  his 
new  settlement  in  the  Ked  River  country.  Mow  came  tiic  de  Meuron  soldiers  to  tound 
a  station  on  this  remote  river.'*  The  (pi(  stion  can  be  answertnl  by  a  referenc(;  to  the 
histor\'  of  th(;  mouldering  Hudson's  Ha\'  post,  a  few  miles  down  tin;  rixcr,  known  as 
Fort  William.  This  place  was  once  the  i)us\  headquarters  of  the  Nor'west  Conqiany. 
The  struggles  between  the  adventurers  of  fludson's  Bay  and  the  N'or'west  Comi^any, 
more  particularly  in  reference  to  the  settlement  of  the  Red  River  country  iiy  Lord 
Selkirk,  rcpresiMiting  the  older  corporation,  are  facts  of  histor)-.  In  1S16,  the  mild  ami 
just  Gov(;rnor  Semple,  of  the  Hudson's  Ba\-  Company,  was  killed  at  the  Red  River, 
with  a  number  of  his  associates,  and  the  settlement,  for  the  second  time,  laid  waste. 
Lord   Selkirk  heard  of    these    events  at    Sault  Ste.    Marie  whih;   on    liis    way  to    his   new 


INDIAN     \.\iuLR     H.Mll. 


OF    THE  NORTH 


9> 


land  of  promise.  He  also  heard  that  some  of  his  Red  River  peo])]e  had  been 
brouj^ht  down  to  l-'ort  W'ilHam,  and  were  held  as  prisoners,  and  that  the  leading  spirits 
of  the  Xor'west  Company  were  likewise  there.  To  h'ort  William  he  therefore  directed 
his  course.  In  his  capacity  of  a  magistrate  he  issued  warrants  against  his  cne-mies, 
arrested  tiiem,  antl  by  the  help  of  his  de  Meuron  soldiers  took  possession  of  the 
fort.  The  captive  Xor'westers  were  sent  to  N'ork,  and  from  thence  to  (Quebec  to  be 
tried   for  implication   in   the    \\vx\    River  massacre. 

The  wcetls   flourish    peacefull\-  in   the    court  of    the    deserted    fort.       Little    here    to 
remind   us  of  the  days  when   the  great  traders  met    to  la)'   their  plans  and  cast   up  their 
profits,   antl   made    the    rafters  of    the    big    dining-hall    ring    with    iheir  jo\ial   fellowship. 
"  To    behold   the     Xor'west     Comi>any 
in    all    its    state  and    grandeur  " 
Washington    Irving,  in  his 
pleasant     style,     "  it     was 
necessary    to     witness    an 
annual     galh(;ring     at    the 
great      interior      ])lace     of 


sa\  s 


—    7t       5JK■^^ 


CANADA     l'.\{  U-IC     RAII.WAV— KAMlMSTinriA     RIVIK. 


conference  establislied  at  Fort  William,  near  what  is  called  the  Grand  Portage,  on 
Lake  Superior.  Here,  two  or  three  of  the  leading  |)ann(rs  from  Montreal  pro- 
ceeded once  a  year  Wi  meet  the  p.irtncrs  from  the  \arious  trading-posts  of  the 
wilderness,   to    discuss    the    aff.iirs  of    the    Compan\    during    the    precding    year,  and    tr. 


i. . 


02 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


arrange  plans  for  the  future.  On  these  occasions  might  be  seen  the  change  since 
the  unceremonious  times  of  the  old  French  traders  ;  now  the  aristocratical  character  of 
the  Briton  shone  forth  magnificently,  or  rather  tlie  feudal  spirit  of  the  Highlander. 
Every  partner  who  had  charge  of  an  interior  post,  ami  a  score  of  retainers  at  his  com- 
mantl,  felt  like  the  chieftain  of  a  Ilighland  clan,  and  was  almost  as  important  in  the 
eyes  of  his  retainers  as  of  himself.  To  liim  a  visit  to  the  grand  conference  at  l-ort 
William  was  a  most  important  event,  ami  he  repaired  there  as  to  a  meeting  of  Par- 
liament. Such  was  the  Nor'west  Company  in  its  powc^rful  and  prosperous  days,  when 
it  held  a  kind  of  feudal  sway  over  a  vast  domain  of  lake  anil  forest.  *  *  *  * 
When  as  yet  a  stripling  youth,  we  have  sat  at  the  hospitable  boards  of  the  mighty 
North-westers,  the  lords  of  the  ascendant  at  Montreal,  engaged  with  wondering  ami  in- 
experienced eye  at  the  baronial  wassailing,  and  listened  with  astonished  ear  to  their 
tales  of  hardship  and  adventures.  *  *  *  *  '\\\{i  feudal  state  of  l*"ort  William  is  at 
an  end  ;  its  council  chamber  is  silent  and  deserted  ;  its  banipiet  hall  no  longer  echoes 
to  the  burst  of  loyalty  or  to  the  '  auld  world  ditty ';  the  lords  of  the  lakes  and  forests 
have  passed  away,  and  the  hospitable  magnates  of  Montreal — where  are  they?" 

The  glory  of  the  great  fur-traders  has  departed.  Their  vast  monopoly  is  broken 
up  ;  the  husbandman,  true  lord  of  the  soil,  is  entering  upon  their  ancient  hunting- 
grounds.  Those  parallel  bands  of  iron  stretching  away  to  the  west  proclaim  that  a 
mighty  revolution  is  in  progress.  The  gray  hunter,  full  of  memories  of  wild  days  gone 
by,  shall  soon  hear  the  trains  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  rumble  past  Fort  William,  and 
see  a  vision  of  goKlen  harvests  and  smiling  homesteads  on  the  once  desolate  plains 
where  he  followed  the  buffalo. 


or    THE  NORTlf 


93 


CENTRAL    ONTARIO. 


A  T  the  dawn  of  our  Provincial  History, — two  hundred  and  odil  years  atjo, — when  the 
-^  -^  tn-st  Ht^ht  was  hrcakins;  on  Lake  Ontario,  you  nii;,dit  have  discovered  an  Inchan 
village  a  few  miles  to  the  west  of  Whitby  Harbour.  The  village  looked  out  upon  a 
wide  and  land-locked  mere,  which  every  summer  was  fringed  anew  with  tloating  milfoil, 
and  embroidered  witli  pond-lilies.  This  peaceful  bayou  was  so  little  moved  by  the 
Great  Lake,  that  the  stormiest  wrath  outside  awoke  but  a  soft  response  within.  It  was 
a  welcome  retreat  in  wiUl  weather  for  lake-birds  when  "blown  about  the  skies." 
Sedges  and  sweet-Hag,  and  tall  reed-mace  so  concealed  the  entrance  that  it  was  known 
only  to  the  Seneca  Indians  of  the  village  within.  Out  of  this  cpiiet  bayou  Pickering 
Harbour  has  in  our  day  been  formed,  and  the  entrance  i^.as  been  dredged,  and  widened, 
and  lighted.  Hut,  two  centurie;>  ago,  these  blue  lake  waters  had  not  yet  be(;n  vexed 
b^•  merchantmen ;    antl  a   sufficient    beacon    was    found    in    tht    natural    features    of    the 


n 


f  I 


I 


i: 


94 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


OF   THE  NORTIf 


95 


land.  When  t\vili),rlu  was  coniinj^f  on,  tlie  returning'  water-fowl  and  canoes  would  seek 
the  low.  rec(,'ilinir  siiore  midway  between  Scarboro'  Heights  and  Raby  Head, — that 
glooming  water  of    Moore's  lines, — 


"Where    the    blue    hills   of  old    Toronto  shed 
Their   evening   shadows    o'er   Ontario's   hed  " 


In  1660  the  Indians  of  this  shore  woidd  have  called  the  villas^^t;  that  lay  Ix^yond 
them  to  tile  west  not  Toroitto,  l)iit  Teyoyagon.  This  we  know  from  tlic  contemporary 
maps  of  .Sidpician  Missionaries — tin;  tirst  Europeans  who  e.xploreil  ami  mapped  the 
nortli  shore.  "Toronto"  was  then  applied  to  the  water  thai  is  now  Lake  .Simcoe  ; 
afterwards,  i)y  extension,  the  name  of  the  lake  descrilunl  also  the  wt-stt-rn  portage  that 
led  tliitluM' ;  and  tinalU',  in  the  fiu'-trading  era,  it  described  the  sotithern  vw(\  of  tlie 
portai;<'.  which,  as  early  as  1(173,  is  describeil  )))■  La  Salle  as  the  chief  trading  place  of 
tin;  Otlauas  with  the  N'orthcrn  Iroquois.  In  reducing  the  scale  of  the  early  maps  some 
geographi-rs  carelessl\-  neglected  the  |)recise  sites  of  Intlian  \illages  ;  ami  succeeiling 
geographers,  having  at  hand  neither  the  explorers'  maps  nor  narratives,  attempted 
by  conjt;cturc  to  restore;  these  sites.  French  fur-traders  had  meantime  tiansfcrrcd 
"Toronto"  to  the  southern  end  of  the  Simcoe  portage.  Tin;  true  Indian  name, 
Teyoyagon,  being  tlius  cut  awa\'  from  its  moorings,  drifted  ilown  the  lake,  and  stranded 
at  Port  IIo|)e.  Hut  Port  Hope  had  alrcaily  an  Indian  name,  Ganeraske,  which,  IxMug 
now  ilislodgeil,  floated  tlowii  the  lake  and  was  cast  ashore  at  Trenton.  By  1  744,  Hellin, 
th(  1  lydrographcr  to  ti)c  Trench  Xav\-,  found  the  chart  of  the  lakes  in  hopeless  dis- 
order. Disregariling,  therefore,  altogether  the  maps  of  Sanson,  Coronclli,  Delille,  and 
their  plagiarists,  he  went  at  once  to  the  archives  of  the  Department  of  Marine,  and 
collateil  the  original  mai)s  and  reports  of  exploration.  Hellin  had  also  the  great 
advantage  of  Ciiarlevoix's  nicent  travels,  whicli  had  been  written,  compass  in  hanil.  and 
after  observations  taken  for  latitude.  .So  Bellin's  Carle  tics  Lircs  leads  us  back  once 
more  to  solid  groinid ;  it  also  vindicates  the  general  accuracy  of  the  .Sidpician  maps 
of    1669-70. 

'The  .Senecas  of  Pickering  Harbour  called  their  village  Gamlatsetiagon  ;  so  the 
Sulpician  Trouve,  who  visited  the  place  in  1670,  represents  the  sound.  Piionetic 
variants  of  the  name  appear  in  contem|)orary  maps,  and  in  ofificial  documents  that 
passed  between  Loiu's  the  Fourteenth  and  his  Canailian  Executive.  The  tribal  home- 
stead of  these  Seneca.s,  as  of  the  four  other  Iroquois  Nations,  lay  southward  beyond 
the  Great  Lake,  and  within  the  vast  fon;st  that  stretched  from  the  Niagara  to  the 
Hudson.  This  colony  of  warrior-spori  ;men  was  doubtless  attracted  northwards  by  the 
sheltered  shore  and  the  easy  landings,  as  well  as  by  th'-  '  uUess  fishing  and  deer-stalking 
there  to  be  had.     To  the    west    were    the  well-woo'  Heights    of    Scarborough,  which 


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III 


early  French  explorers  called  Les  Grandes  Ecores.  This  the  Loyalists  englished  into 
■  The  High  Lands,"  so  that  the  stream  flowing  through  the  Heights  is  still  called 
"Highland  Creek."  A  little  to  the  west  of  the  Seneca  village  was  a  stream  that  gave 
kindly  shelter  to  distressed  canoes;  and  so  by  Indians  of  the  next  century,  and  of  a 
different  race,  it  was  named  Katabokokonk,  or  the  "  River  of  Easy  Entrance."  In 
making  its  way  to  the  lake  it  pierced  a  hill  of  red  tenacious  clay,  which  sufficiently 
colored  its  waters  to  justify  the  old  French  name,  Rivitre  Rotigc.  In  his  attempt  to 
reproduce  in  Upper  Canada  the  east  coast  of  England,  Simcoe  re-christened  this  stream 
the  Nen,  just  as  he  had  converted  .SV.  John  into  the  Humber,  and  La  iirandc 
Riviere  into  the  Ouse.  But,  like  the  Grand  River,  the  Rouge  fortunately  survived 
the  palimpsest  maps  of  Governor  Simcoe  ;  it  is  still  the  Rouge,  and  the  name  is  in- 
teresting as  the  sole  trace  now  remaining  on  this  north-west  shore,  of  the  old 
Sulpician   Mission  and  of    Louis  the   Fourteenth's  domain. 

Eastward  of  the  Seneca  village  flowed  into  the  lake  a  considerable  stream,  which 
for  about  a  century  has  borne  the  name  of  Dufifin's  Creek.  An  early  I'Vench  name 
was  Riviire  an  Sauinon  ,■  and  the  name  was  well  deserved.  A  roll  of  birch-bark, 
lighted  and  thrust  into  a  forked  branch  in  the  bow  of  a  canoe,  brought  within  reach  of  the 
fishing-spear  shoals  of  the  choicest  lake-salmon.  Then  short  portages  through  a  famous 
deer-park  led  up  from  the  Whitby  shore  to  ^'ne  bass-fishing  on  Lakes  Scugog  and 
Simcoe,  anticipating  the  railroads  that  two  centuries  afterwards  would  lead  the  wayfarer 
over  the  same  trails  to  P:)rt  Perry  and  Beaverton.  The  generation  and  race  of  fish- 
ermen whom  Champlain,  in  1615,  found  between  these  lakes  had  been  swept  away  in 
the  Iroquois  invasion,  but  the  conquerors,  no  doubt,  deigned  to  imitate  the  old  ways  of 
the  neighbourhood.  They  would  encamp  at  the  lake-outlets  and  ambuscade  the  fish 
within  such  osier-weirs  as  gave  Lake  Simcoe  its  early  French  name  of  Lac  aiix  Ciaics, 
or  "Hurdle  Lake."  In  "  Oshawa,"  the  name  of  the  busy  manufacturing  town  between 
Whitby  and  Bowmanville,  there  is  still  a  twilight  memory  of  the  ancient  days,  and  of 
the  old  portage  that  led  up  from  this  shore  to  Scugog  Lake;  for  (h/ia^ca  means  "The 
Carrying-Place." 

The  Iroquois  confederates  had  now  beaten  down  all  resistance  from  native  races; 
they  had  become  the  tyrants  of  the  Upper  St.  Lawrence,  of  both  shores  of  the  Great 
Lake,  and  the  magnificent  peninsula  which  in  our  day  forms  Western  Ontario.  P'rom 
the  Great  Cataraqui  Creek  to  tlie  Grand  River  Portage  the  Five  Nations  occupied 
a  chrin  of  outposts,  whose  sites  foreshadowed  the  future  Kingston,  Napanee,  Belleville, 
Port  Hope,  Whitby,  Toronto,  Hamilton,  ami  Brantford.  Lake  Ontario  was  now  in 
fact,  as  it  was  in  contemporary  French  maps,  the  •'  Lake  of  the  Iroquois."  A  dread- 
ful retribution  had  been  exacted  for  the  foray  which  Champlain  half  a  century  ago  led 
into  the  heart  of  Iroquois  Land.  The  Hurons  who  were  his  allies  on  that  fatal 
expedition  had  been  exterminated  or  dispersed  ;    their  corn-fields    and    populous  villages 


OF   THE  NORTH 


97 


^lishecl    into 

stili    called 

11  that  gave 

>',    and    of  a 

ranee."       In 

sufficiently 

.  attempt   to 

I  this  stream 

La    Grande 

ely   survived 

name  is    in- 

of    the    old 

ream,  which 

rench    name 

\    birch-bark, 

reach  of  the 

gh  a  famous 

Scugog   and 

the  wayfarer 

■ace    of    fish- 

ei)t  away   in 

old  ways  of 

ide  the    tish 

aux  L  laics, 

)wn  between 

clays,  and  of 

neans  "  The 

ative  races  ; 
f  the  Great 
ino.  I*"rom 
ns  occupied 
e.  Belleville, 
was  now  in 
'  A  dread- 
iry  ago  led 
\  that  fatal 
ous  villages 


were  now  deserted  wastes.  Gone,  too,  were  tiieir  staiwart  kinsmen,  the  Neutrals  ami 
the  Tobacco  Intlians,  who  had  dared  to  shelter  some  of  the  llurons  in  ihcir  last 
agony.  And  vanished  wen;  tin;  Algonquin  races  who  d\v(.'lt  between  the  Lake  of  the 
Manitou  and  the  River  of  the  Ottawas  ;  even  the  dread  Nipissings  t'lemselves,  tiiat 
nation  of  sorcerers  who  s[)(,nt  their  lives  in  communion  with  oleics,  when  not  serving  at 
gruesome  l-'easts  of  the;  Dead.  Magicians  though  they  were,  the)'  could  not  turn  aside 
the  evil  eye  of  the  Ir()([uois.  Like  their  Huron  allies,  the  Nipissings  had  alrf^ady 
become  mere  historical  shadows,  haunting  at  earl\-  dawn  the  lake  that  still  bears  their 
name.  The  Jesuit  Missions  on  Lake  Huron  and  Georgian  Bay  and  Lake  Simcoe 
were  now  silent  and  blackened  ruins, — mere  heaps  of  embers  in  the  midst  of  rank 
jungles  that  once  were  smiling  fields  and  gardi;ns.  Several  of  the  most  eminent  of 
the  Jesuit  missionaries  had  fallen  in  the  effort  to  Christianize  Western  Canada  ;  Gamier 
had  recei\ed  from  a  stone-a.ve  his  coup-de-gracc ;  the  tires  of  Brebeuf's  martj'rdom  lit 
uj)  tiif  woods   of    Medonte. 

Kxultant  in  their  victory  over  the  native  races,  the  Irocjuois  seriously  menaced  the 
French  colonists  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  Frequent  attempts  were  made  to  conciliate  or 
to  divide  the  Five  Nations.  In  1654,  that  is  within  five  years  of  the  massacres  at  the 
Huron  Missions,  a  Jv,suit  was  found  boKl  enough  to  undertake  an  embassy  to  the 
stronglioUl  of  the  Onondagas,  the  torturers  ami  murderers  of  his  brother  Jesuits.  This 
Iroquois  Nation  dwelt,  according  to  the  journal  which  Father  Le  Moine  kei)t  of  his 
mission,  five  days'  journey  back  from  the  south-east  angle  of  Lake  Ontario.  Their 
canton  inclosed  the  now  famous  salt-deposit,  whicli  Lc  Moine  was  the  lirst  of  luiropeans 
to  visit.  He  recovered  what  he  tells  us  were  treasures  more  precious  than  a  silver  or 
gold  mine.  —  Brc'beuf's  New  Testament,  and  Garnier's  little  Book  of  Devotion.  With 
mingled  joy  and  grief  he  recognized  Christian  women  of  the  Huron  race,  .some  of 
whom  in  happier  da\s  he  iiad  himself  instructed  at  tlir  Huron  Mission.  They  \v(;re 
now  wearing  out  their  lives  in  stjrvitude.  Among  their  fellow-captives  was  his  anciitnt 
host  of  the  ToI)acco  Indians  and  a  girl  of  the  Neutral  Nation.  On  the  friendly  assur- 
ances of  the  Onondagas,  confirmed  l)\-  the  usual  exchange;  of  wampum  bells,  a  brench 
setllemetit  was  begun  in  their  midst;  also  a  number  of  llurons,  with  their  wi'.cs  ami 
children,  came  uj)  from  the  .Si.  Lawrence,  antl  accepted  the  urgent  iinilalion  of  ihe 
Onondagas  to  reside  in  liieir  canton.  On  the  3rd  .August,  1657,  a  genera'  mass.icre  of 
the  Christian  llurons  took  place;;  it  was  now  evident  that  the;  I'fench  Mission  had 
been  tolerated  onl\  as  a  deco\-.  The  scene  of  this  massacre  seems  to  have  been  the 
very  ( )nou(laga  town  that  fortx-two  \'ears  before  witnessed  the  assault  and  the  disastrcju., 
rejinlse  of  Cliamplain  ;iiid  his  llurons.  It  was  surely  glutting  e\en  Iroquois  rev(;nge 
to  entice  llu;  I'rench  and  the  |>oor  remnant  of  their  ancient  allies  to  this  fatal  spot, 
ar.d  pri'pare  for  both  a  common  slaughter!  Fortunately  the  Ouebt;c  llurons  had  not 
yet  accepletl    Onondaga    hospitality  ;    this    delay    saved    them     and  alTordeel    the     Irench 


98 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


IM 


settlers  time  to 
plan    their    es- 
cape.   The  wild 
Indian     r(;vel 
which    was    to 
be  but  the  pre- 
lude     to     the 
French     mas- 
sacre;   the 
stealtln-  with- 
drawal of  the 
intendeil   vic- 
tims    at     the 
dead  of  a  win- 
ter's     night ; 
the    struggle 
of    those    forlorn    refugees    to 
reach     the     outlet      of      Lake 
Ontario  ;    their  winter  descent 
of    the    St.     Lawrence ;     their 
terrible      experience      of      the 
Cornwall  Rapids, — then  for  the 
first   time  descendc^d   by   luno- 
peans,— all    form     one    of    the 
most   thrilling  passages   in   our 

early  Provincial  annals. 

The  first  exploration  of 
the  northern  shore  of  Lake 
Ontario  arose  out  of  an 
interesting  group  of  events. 
When,  in  1661,  the  great  Col- 
bert succeeded  Fouquet  in  the 
councils  of  Louis  XI\',  the  ad- 
ministration of  Canadian  affairs 
had  reached  the  last  extreme 
of  weakness  and  disorder. 
Montreal  now  barely  kept  the 
Iroquois  out  of  its  streets, 
and  during  the  preceding  sum- 


OF    THE   NORTff 


99 


mer  and  autumn  Quebec  itself  had  been  closely  invested.  The  civil  administration  was 
in  open  conHict  with  the  ecclesiastical.  1  (>  save  the  colonj'  from  annihilation,  Laval 
himself  would  go  ovt;r  to  I'rance  and  appeal  to  the  compassion  of  the  y<juni^  monarch, 
lust  then,  at  the  touch  of  Colbert's  jrenius,  I'" ranee  had  awoke  ;  had  become  conscious 
of  her  wonderful  powers,  and  was  enterin<^  on  the  most  brilliant  epoch  in  her  history. 
It  was  part  of  Colbert's  policy  to  strengthen  and  extend  the  colonial  system,  so  tiiat 
in  the  new  Comptroller-General  Laval  found  a  warm  Irieiid  of  Canada.  It  so  happened, 
too,  that  the  statesman's  hantl  was  forced  by  luiglish  aggression.  Charles  II  had 
claimed  the  Dutch  possessions  in  North  .America;  lie  luul  even  by  anticipation  be- 
stowed them  on  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  York  and  .Albany.  In  1664  an  Lnglish 
fleet  appeared  off  the  shore  of  New  Netherland  ;  New  .\msterdam  be-came  New  York, 
and  Fort  Orange  became  Fort  Albany.  Almost  simultaneously,  the  English  colonists 
took  the  Iro([uois  under  their  protection,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  was  almost 
equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  war  against  the  L'rencli  Canadians.  On  tlr.'  following 
spring  the  Carignan-Salieres  regiment  was  despatched  to  Canatla  ;  forts  were  during 
the  summer  erected  on  the  Richelieu,  and  a  winter  campaign  was  carried  into  the 
heart  of  the  Mohawk  coiuitry.  The  vigour  and  rapidity  of  these  military  nu)\enients 
overawed  the  Iroquois;  one  Nation  after  another  made  proposals  for  a  treaty,  and 
in    1667   a  general   pacification   ensued,   which   last(Hl    for  a  dozen   years. 

It  was  during  this  precious  interval  of  peace  th.it  Lake  Ontario  was  first  opened 
to  French  exploration  and  settlement;  that  the  north  shore  was  planted  with  .Sul])ician 
Missions;  that  La  Salle  discovered  the  Niagara,  and  penetrated  to  Hurlington  Ha\  ; 
that  Jolliet  added  to  geography  our  Western  Peninsula  and  the  shore  line  from  llie 
Grand  River  to  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie;  that  I'Ort  brontenac  and  b'ort  Niagara  sprang 
up;  that  the  Gn'ffin  inaugurated  the  commerce  of  the  Gre;it  Lakes.  Then,  too,  it  was 
that  Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior  were  e.N|)lored  ;  that  the  great  copper  mines  were 
discovered;  that  Jollii't  found  the  Mississi|)pi  ;  that  the  I'rench  established  themselves 
on  Hudson's  Ba)'.  .All  this  intense  activity  was  created,  directed,  sustained  by  that 
silent,  toiling,  morose  man  of  the  hollow  eyes  and  black  shaggy  brows,  who,  while 
insisting  that  he  was  a  mere  subaltern,  governed  the  most  powerful  kingdom  in  the 
world;  who  ot'hcially  reproved  I'ronlenac  for  stvling  him  "  M\-  Lord"  instead  of  ".Sir," 
though  Colbert  was  nevertheless  by  slu-er  forci;  of  intellect  the  over-lord  of  the  tiraiid 
Monarque  himself.  .As  accounts  of  explorations  in  Western  Canaila  are  read  at  the 
l*"rench  Court,  we  watch  with  ciger  interest  the  gradn.il  uprising  of  the  mist  that  so 
loni''  veiled  the  fair  featmx-s  ol  oin-  Province.  .As  tlv  mans  and  rei)orts  arrive,  we  see 
coming  into  view  the  Rapiils  ol  the  .Si,  Lawrence  the  Thousand  Islands,  the  gatt;way 
of  a  great  fresh-water  sea,  Ixingston  ll.u-bour.  llic  rom.intic  Hay  ol  (hiinte,  then  a 
panorama  of  bays,  streams,  wooded  headlands  ;  and,  b.ick  frcun  the  lake-shore,  a  chain 
of    lovely  sylvan    lakes    gleaming    through    \  istas    of     majestic     forest.        As    the    great 


It 


ICO 


picri  R I- St ) I '/■:  s/ >( ) y.s- 


minister    peruses    iIk!    despalclies 
of    Talon,  Courci'lles,  ami   I'roiile- 
iiae,    he  sees   ^rowini;'  u|)    Ixnoiul 
the    ocean    a    new     ami    a    fairer 
I'rance,    ami    i:\en    his  cold    teni- 
perainent    is   lired    to    enthusiasm. 
1  U'  often  writes  on  the   niarj^in  an 
emphatic    "  bon  !  "    or 
hi-  records  his  determi- 
nation   to   strengthen 
the     hands      of      the 
Canatlian     executive. 
The  despatches,   with 
Colbert's      autoi^raph 
noti's,    are    siill     pre- 
s<-rved  in  the  archives 
at    Paris  ;     but   in    the 
laps(;     of     e\cn     two 
centuries    how     failed 
aliki;    are    the    states- 
man's      handwriting;" 
and   his  Colonial   \-'.m- 
pirc  I 

I'rom  Colbert's   in- 
structions   to  the    In- 
tendant      Talon,     and 
still     more     from     his 
cii)her  cor  res|  Kind  ence 
with    bronlenac,    it    is 
e\ident     that     it    was 
the     [)olic\      of     the      I'reiich 
Court  to  hold  baik  the  Jc'suits 
from     Western     Canada,    and 
push   forwaixl    the   Sulpicians. 
In    the  autumn   of    i66S,    two 
.Sulpicians,  MM.  I'l'iielon   and 
Trouve,     establishcil      a     nds- 
sion     at     a     \illa,^c     ol     the 
Cavut;as      on      the       Uay      of 


OF    77//f   A'()A'77/ 


lOI 


Quinte.  This  M.  rc'iu'lon  lias  often  lircn  mistaken  for  the  ceieljratecl  Archbishop  of 
Caiiil)ray.  The  C'ana<liaii  inissionary's  laliours  in  Cential  Ontario  arc  t^oinnieniorated 
b)'  the  r(,'currence  of  the  name  I'Cnelon  in  the  coinitN  ol  \  icloria.  On  the  eastern 
edge    of     l'\;neh)n      l()\\nshi[)    a    ri\cr    of     tht;    same    name    ilischarges    the    ovt'rllow    oi 


m 


*^);'>'  •*'f;^'-&i^«^-^     ■■"'■ 


m^' 


uuwMANVii.i.i;,    i-'Ko.M    Tin.    \\i:sr. 


Cameron  Lake  into  Stur^'eon  Lake,  and  at  the  head  of  the  i-i\-er  there  is  a  pretty 
cascade  which  has  shared  its  name  with  the  |)ros|)erous  \inai;<'  of  l-'enehm  balls. 
Under  tin;  misapprehension  al)o\e  nijtired  a  viliai^c  towards  the  south-west  of  the  town- 
ship has  been  called  Civubrav.  'J'he  historic, il  error  implied  in  this  name  originated 
\Yith  easy-^oini;'  Father  Ilenne])in;  then  it  passed  into  C";irdinal  Hausset's  /.i/c  of 
^lyclibisliop  I'^CHcloii.  Our  Canadian  Abbe  was  not  the  Abln'  lenclon  who  wroti; 
Tclniiaijuc  and  became  Archbishop  of  Cand)ra\-;  the  missionarx -e\i)lorer  of  our  lake- 
shon;  was  the  archbisho|)'s  elder  brother.  The}'  were  both  sons  of  Count  bc'm'lon- 
Sali^nac,  though  by  dilliM'ent  marriage's.  iSoth  bore  the  n:ime  of  bi'.uuis,  thouL;h  the 
youn;.4(M'  iiore  the  addition  .\rmand  ;  both  entered  the  order  of  St.  Suljjice  ;  and  botii 
lookeil  wistfulK'   to   \\'estern    Cuuida    as    the    Mission-!. and    ol     I'romise.       The    Nounijcr 


I'Ynck)!!,     beiuL!'    ul    ileliiate;   constitution,   was    dissuaded   from    follouiu''-  in    Ids    brother's 


I02 


rK^rrRi'.sniF.  spots 


steps  aiul  iinclfjr- 
takiny  tlic  priva- 
tions and  danjjjers 
of  a  life  among' 
tilt-  Northern  Iro- 
quois. While  the 
elder  brother  was 
teachinjr  the  In- 
dian children  of 
our  Whitby  shore, 
the  \ounj;(.'r  was 
teaching  Lou  is 
.  XI\"s  grandson 
and  heir  appar- 
ent ;  while  the 
elder  was  endur- 
ing more  than  the 
toils  of  L'Ksses. 
the  xounger  was 
inditing-  the  .-/</- 
vcnlttrcs  of  Tclc- 
iiuu/iiis.  \'oung 
Burgundy  was  ex- 
plosive enough  ; 
but  the  heir  (  f  a 
Seneca  Chief  had 
a  more  volcanic 
temper  than  an\ 
prince  in  Christ(;n- 
dom.  Li'a\ing  the 
new  mission  of 
Q  n  i  n  t  e  ,  Al)be 
Fenelon — first  of 
all  Europeans  — 
explored  the  lake- 
shore,  ami  reached 
the  Seneca  vil- 
lage that  over- 
looked     Pickering 


Ol'    TIfE  NORTH 


'03 


Harbour.  Wliat  Indian  namr  was  tlion  hnrnr  by  that  quiet  more  we  know  not  ;  hut 
thenceforward  for  two  centuries  it  was  ••  l-irnchman's  rJay."  'Wwxv.  i\'ncioM  spent  the 
last  uiontiis  of  1669  and  the  early  months  of  1670.  Educationist  as  wc:ll  as  (;vange- 
list,  iiis  labours  would  (>xtend  from  the  villaji[e  outwards  to  ihc  lods^n-s  that  lay 
scattered   in    the   <;real    wilderness.        He   was  undoubtedly   llu;   lirsl    leac  her  ol    languages 


-VV'V 


A     (.I.INM'SIC      OF     I'OKl      UOI'K. 

in  the  County  of  Ontario — this  young  scion  of  most  ancient  P^'ench  nobility — and  he 
had  for  pupils  as  lithe,  and  bright-eyed,  and  keen-witted  young  Canadians  as  t!ver  were. 
Rut  whether  Abbe  i'eneloii's  labours  foreshadowe-d  Pickering  College,  or  the  Whitby 
Ladies'  College,  or  the;  Collegiate  Institute  of  Whitby,  or  the  High  .School  of 
Oshawa, — -is    a    (jue-stion    that    we    must    reluctantly    leave    to   local   anticjuarians. 

brom  a  political  \iew  as  well  as  from  an  etlucational  aii<l  erclcsiasiical,  this 
Sulpician  entt;rprise  was  interesting.  Richc^lieu  ami  his  generation  of  brench  stat(;s- 
men  had  hopetl  for  grtiat  national  advantages  from  the  laboius  ol  the;  Recollects 
and  the  Jesuits  in  Upper  Canaila.  Hut  now,  aft(!r  half  a  century  of  most  devoted 
toil,  b" ranee  possessed  but  the  nu)st  shadowy  influence  over  the  native  races.  Her 
Indian  allies  had  been  exterminated  ;  her  fur-tr.ide  was  all  but  ruined.  Talon,  Cour- 
celles,  and  b'ronttmac  all  blam<vl  the  Jesuits  for  their  i  11  ;>  diiy  in  tt^aching  tin;  natives 
through  the  Indian  dialects,  instead  of  moulding  them  through  the  b'rench  language 
to  the  service  of  France.  Tlu;  fesuits  themselves  were  perplexed  at  the  disastrous 
issue    of    all     their    heroism    and    si'fferings ;     they    laid    their    failure    to    tiie    abnor- 


*■  i  { 


pi  ' 


104 


PICTURESQUE  S/'C  y/'S 


inal  activity  of  th<>  Powers  of  Darkness.  Roth  parties  went  too  far  for  a  reason. 
They  overlooked  llu:  eiionnous  chasin  tliat  separates  civilized  life  from  barbarism,-  a 
chasm  whith,  as  Caiiad'ans  have  since  learned,  centuries  of  earnest  toil  are  insufticif.'nt 
to  briilf^e  over.  Louis  the  bOurteenth's  pride  was  touched  by  this  Indian  problem.  To 
him,  and  his  ministers,  and  courtiers,  it  was  inconceivable  that  Iroquois  wi].^wams 
could  iidld  out  ai^ainst  b'rench  civilization,  when  even  the  'lurk  hail  bowed  in  its  pres- 
ence. 1  hi-  new  Canadian  policy,  as  e.vpuinuled  liy  Collicrt,  was  to  make  the  brench 
lan}.juaj;e  the  soh;  nu;ans  of  communication,  ami,  liy  this  mt.'ans,  "  detach  the  native 
races  from  their  sa\a_<,a;  customs;"  in  sliort,  to  fuse  aborigines  and  colonists  "into  out! 
people  and  one  race,  havins,^  but  one  law  anil  one  master."  .M.  ()lier  had  in  1045 
founded  ;it  I'aris  the  ( )rder  of  St.  SuJpice,  and  a  bnmch  of  his  .Seminar)-  iiad  been 
alread)'  established  at  Montreal.  Still  unwedded  to  precedents  or  traditions,  .Sulpicians 
were  thoni,rht  to  be  more  receptive  than  older  ordiM's  of  the  |)riniiples  that  were  to  l;ov- 
ern  the  new  colonial  policy.  X'oim^-  men  of  rank  and  b)rtime  had  already  enrolled  them- 
selves as  studt-nts  of  the  Seminars,  ami  it  was  expected  that  the\  and  their  hiends 
would  defray  the  (expenses  of  the  Mission  without  burdenini,^  the  public  cxchciiuer. 
The  headquarters  of  the  new  entcM-prise  were  to  l)e  on  the  peninsida  which  now  forms 
our  Coimty  of  Prince  lulward.  A  colony  of  Cayu^as  had  established  themsehcs  on 
the  lakeward  side  of  the  peninsula,  within  the  cove  which,  in  our  time,  is  called  West 
Lake,  but  by  the  e.irliest  P^'ench  explorers  was  named  after  the  Indian  villa,L,''e  /.cii  He 
Kcntd.  In  the  lapse  of  two  centuries  this  name  has  been  converted  into  the  Hay  of 
Quinte,  and  transferred  to  tin;  romantic  water  that  s(q)arates  the  peninsula  from  the 
Counties  of  Hastinijs  and  Lennox.  In  166S  a  nmnerous  deputation  had  been  sent  by 
the  villagers  of  Kente  to  Montreal,  uri^in^  the  settlement  of  a  Missionary  in  their 
midst.  September  brou^^dit  down  Rohiaria  himself,  the  a^cd  chief  of  the  \illas4e,  to 
support  the  application,  .and,  if  he  should  succeed,  to  escort  the  "  Hlack  Kobe"  to 
Kente.  MM.  'Prouve  ;ind  P'enelon  eagerly  volunteered  for  the  new  enterprise,  and  pro- 
cured the  consent  of  their  .Sujx'rior,  M.  de  Oueylus.  But  in  the  days  of  Louis  Xl\'  a 
French  Missionary  was  an  ambassador  in  a  political,  as  well  as  a  spiritual  sense  ;  and, 
like  Livingstone  in  oiu"  day,  the  Sulpician  was  to  be  explorer  as  well  as  evangelist. 
He  would  on  occasion  negotiate  and  conclude  treaties  in  behalf  of  .P'rance  with  the 
native  races;  and,  on  discovering  tracts  hitherto  imexplored  by  Europeans,  he  would  in 
solemn  form  set  up  a  cross  bearing  the  Arms  of  Fnincc  and  ajjpropriate  the  territory 
to  Plis  Most  Christian  Majesty  Louis  XI\'.  Through  ;in  anticipation,  wi;  have  already 
witnessed  the  annexation  of  the  north  shore  of  Lake  PLrie  by  the  Sulpicians  DoUier 
and  Galinee.  The  north  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  was  now  to  be  annexed  b\-  other 
members  of    the  sami,'   Order. 

MM.   'Prouve    and     PY-nelon  went  down  to  Quebec  to  obtain  their  credentials    from 
Bishop  Laval ;  also  from  the  Civil  Government,  then  represented  by  Governor  Courcelles 


I  in 


OF    THE  NORTlf 


105 


and  the  Int(;iulant  'I'alnn.  TIic  two  latter,  with  C'oHxTt's  instructions  fresh  in  thrir 
memory,  <;a<;crly  forwanicil  tiic  Mission.  IJisiio])  Laval,  too,  was  imicli  interested  in  tiiis 
new  scheme  which  was  to  fraitcisrr,  or  l*'renchif)-  the  Indians.  Actin},;-  on  Colbert's 
siij,f}j[estion,  he  had  just  foumlcd  at  Quebec  Iiis  /V///  Sr  nit  inn  re,  and  iiad  selected  ei<,dit 
French  boys  and  six  Indians  to  live  under  the  same  roof  aiul  to  be  carefulK  tr.iiiK-d 
toji^ether.  1  iie  research  of  Ai)l)e  X'erreaii  lias  brought  to  li.nht  ;i  private  letter  wriiten 
by  tlu;  bishop  to  Fenelon  for  his  dirtx'tion  in  the  Kenie  Mission  ;  it  re(:on\mends  the 
youii;^  missionary  when  perple.veil  to  write  for  .ulvitx;  to  the  j(!suits.  This  hitter  wouhl 
have   made   interestinjr   readin;.;-  for  Talon   or  Colbert  I 

b'rom  the  scattered  annals  of  this  Kente  Mission  we  obtain  our  first  knuwledi^re  of 
Central  ( )ntario  ;  wi;  obtain  at  the  same  lime  most  iiUi'restinL;-  L;limpses  of  life  .imonitj 
the  ancient    Irocpiois    Nations. 

It  was  the  second  of  ()ct()b(;r  before  tlu'  Sulpici.ins  l;oI  awa\'  from  l-atdiine.  Two 
CaN'Uiras  were  to  foi'in  their  entire  coiuo)'.  W  ith  occasional  p()rta,<;es  and  towiniL^fs 
of  cano(!s  they  surmounteil  the  obstacles  that  la_\'  between  Lakes  St.  Louis  and  St. 
b'rancis.  .Smoke  was  noticed  in  an  inlet  ol  Lake  .St.  brancis,  anil,  on  repairinj^  to 
the  spot,  the  (;\j)l()rers  discovered  two  emaciated  scpiaws  and  a  l)oy  ten  or  twelve  years 
oKl.  'I'hese  unfortunates  had  been  drixcn  as  slavtis  to  the  ( )neida  village  that  lay  west- 
ward near  the  lake  ol  the  same  name.  They  made  a  desperate  alleinpt  to  escapt;  to  the 
French  settlements,  ami  had  now  been  forty  days  in  the  wlhh.'rness  without  other  footi 
than  a  few  scpiirrels.  which  the  boy  had  contrived  to  shoot  with  ruile  arrows  luade  b\- 
his  mother.  Ravenously  they  devoured  some  biscuits  that  the  .Snlpicians  L,rave  th(;m  ; 
but,  their  luuii^'er  allayed,  ihey  were  now  in  terror  lest  they  should  sulier  the  dreadful 
penalty  of  fuj^'^itive  slaves  amom^r  the  Lidians, — roastinsj^  to  death  at  a  slow  tire.  It  was 
with  the  utmost  ditticuilty  that  the  missionaries  saved  these  poor  creatures  from  the 
tomahawk  of  their  Iroquois  L^uides,  one  of  whom  maddenetl  himself  for  murder  by 
drinkin_sj[  from  a  little  kejj;'  of  brandy  procured  in  Montreal.  Through  many  dangers 
the  fugitives  made  good  their  (light,  and  joined  the  i)oor  remnants  of  tribes  that  had 
escaped  the  general  extermination  in  the  west.  To  th(;  Sulpicians  this  was  no  holiday 
excursion.  .Sometimes  wading  rapids  with  bruised  and  bleeding  feet,  sometimes  swim- 
ming streams  and  inlets,  these  \vear\  wayfarers  reached  Kente  on  the  feast  of  .St. 
Simon   and   .St.   Jude,   (28th   October),    1668. 

Chateaubriand,  in  a  cynical  epigram,  observes  that  of  all  Indian  virtues,  hospitality 
is  the  last  to  \  iekl  to  European  civilization.  Indian  larders  were,  nevertheless,  subject 
to  wide  vicissitudes,  ranging  all  the  wa\-  from  a  stilling  feast  to  gaunt  famine.  The 
pilgrims  happeneil  into  Kente  on  rather  a  lean  day.  Their  first  nnial  was  choppetl 
pumpkins  fried  in  suet.  With  th(>  anciimt  sauce  of  hunger,  the  worthy  fathers  found 
the  entertainment  excellent  !  Another  day  brought  a  pottage  of  maize  and  sunflower- 
seeds.       This  alarming  preparation   was  palled    snoaiii/fi'.       It   woukl    sadly  disconcert    ihe 


io6 


p/rnri^HSQi  7:  s/'o  rs 


chef  o[  the  "Arlington"  or  the  "Diifoe;"  but,  in  tlic  pre-historic  jfardciis  of  Criitial 
Ontario,  (cstheticism  was  cultivated,  and  sunllo\vt;rs  loniiii  il  ovir  sciuashcs,  ami  ixinip' 
kins,  and  Indian  corn.  In  llic  woodland  kitchen,  siintlowi'r-sccds  j^mv<!  stri'n]j[th  and 
character  to  weaker  llaxonrs;  and  in  beauty's  bower  snnllower-oil  dis|iuleil  llu'  place  ot 
honour  with   vermilion. 

i'hen;  were  threi;  outposts  of  this  Kenle  Miss>  >  :  the  Seneca  villai^c  on  I'rinch- 
iiian's  iiay  already  noliceil  ;  (ianeraske,  the  Indi.ui  \.da_i;i-'  on  the  futun'  site  of  Tort 
ll(i|ii';    .md   ( ianneious,   iIk;    lro(|uois  representali\  <•  of    our   Nap.uKc 

In  the  sprini;  ol  i()()9  the  .Xbhe  l'"enelon  went  down  to  Montreal  and  i)roUL;ht 
l)ack  with  him  as  a  reinforcement  M.  D'l'rfe.  who  rem.iiiicd  during  llie  winter  at 
Kenle,  whih'  I'enelon  explored  W(;stwaril  and  wintered  at  h  renchm.in's  Hay.  Two 
othiM'  .Sulpicians,   Dollier  and   ( ialinee,  spent,   it   may   he   rememlicreil,   the   same  winter  in 

the  lor(;st  between  the-  (iraiid  River  and  l.om; 
i'oin:  ;  the\-  thankfidly  contrast  llu;  mildness 
of  their  season  with  its  e.Ncessive  rij^oiu'  else- 
where.      In  Central    and    Eastern    Canada    the 


winter  of  1669-70 
was  of  unprecedent- 
ed hiiL^^th  and  se- 
verity. June  found 
the     14  r  o  u  !i  d     still 

frozen    in    the    gardens    of     Montreal,    and     all     the     orchard     trees    dead.       Unlike    the 
tribes    across    the    lake,    who    kept    droves    of    swim;,    and     sloretl    up     maize     in     laru;e 


OF   Till':   NORTH 


107 


ON     THK     BKACH,     COBOURCi. 


lie 
i-e 


granaries,  these  Northern  Iroquois  had  sttemins^lx-  laid  up  nothing-  for  winter.  The 
missionaries  were  forced  to  rans^e  tlie  forest  for  food,  tliankful  for  a  s(iiiirrt;l  or 
chipmunk,  and  sometimes  uiiawin^^  even  tlie  funi^i  th.it  ^^vvw  witiiin  tiie  shack;  of  the 
pines.  Fenelon's  experience  by  the  Whitby  shore  must  iiave  been  worst;  tiian  his 
brethren's  at  Keiite,  for  \\v.  had  no  one  to  share  his  tiioiiLiius  or  his  suffi-rin^^s.  He 
dietl  witliin  ten  years,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  his 
constitution  was  broken  by  the  hardships  of  that  memorable  w'liter.  To  this  delicately- 
nurtur'^d  son  of  the  oUl  noblesse  what  an  appalling  change  from  the  stilotis  of  Paris,  and 
from  the  retined  luxi;:  \  t)f  tiu'  ancestral  castle  at  Perigord  !  lie  would  have  been  either 
more  or  less  than  human  not  to  have  been  at  times  profoundly  depressed.  And  he 
had  sacrificed  so  much  tliat  his  rank  would  have  ensured  to  him!  Mis  uncle,  the 
Manpiis  de  Fenelon,  was  a  distinguished  soldier  and  statesman  ;  the  Manpiis'  daughter 
would  presently  marry  into  the  great  house  of  Montmorency-Laval.  Another  marriage 
alliance  would  secure  for  him  the  influence  of  the  great  Colbert.  One  of  his  uncles 
was  Bishop  of  Sarhit  ;  iiis  brother  would  become  the  illustrious  Archbishop  of  Cambray  ; 
and  for  himself,  iiad  he  but  \-ielded  to  the  |)assionate  entreaties  of  his  uncle  of  Sarlat, 
and  remained  at  home,  the  iiighesl  offices  in  Church  or  State  were  open  to  his  legiti- 
mate ambition  !  The  life  of  these  warlike  Iroquois  was  an  alternation  between  wild 
revels  and  absolute  destitution.  Hven  amid  th<Mr  savagi;  f(;stivities  Fenelon  must  have 
felt  greater  loneliness  and  dejection  than  Ca^dmon,  the  poet-r(;cluse  of  the  older  Whitby 
shore  tells  us  he  felt  amid  the  i)agan   revels  of    the   Norsemen, 

In    the     Huron-Algon(piin     era,   this    north    shore    was   without    doubt    more  thickly 


io8 


/'/CTUkJisouE  s/'o  rs 


^^r"" 


pi:Ti:RHORour,i{. 


villas^cil  tlian  the  Sulpirians 
found  it.  riic  lro(|u<)iN  deso- 
lation had  swcjil  (urr  it,  and 
we  learn  from  a  IctttM-  of  Laval's  that  onl\  in  1665  did  ilu'  conciucrini;  race  Ix's^ii! 
colonization.  In  the  earlier  era  there  wouM  rertainK'  lie  lishinL;'  \  illa^xis  at  W  hilliy, 
Oshawa,  and  Port  1  )arlinL;ton.  We  feel  conlident  that,  from  a  very  early  |)eriod.  Lyrist 
machinery  anil  ai;riinltnral  implements  were  mannfactured  at  Oshawa;  thouj^h  primexal 
machiner\-  was  no  better  than  the  llnron  stnmp-mills  fi^nred  l)v  Champlain  ;  while  tin; 
sole  ai^ricnltural  implements  were  mattocks,  fashioned  from  red-deer's  antlers,  A^i's 
before  the  ISowman  ol  1SJ4  settUul  on  that  hill-side,  a  bowman  of  diUerent  lineai^e 
chose  for  his  villaj;*'  tli>  windint,'-  stream  and  the  shadowy  elms.  The  burghers  of 
ancient  P)owmanville  did  not  Iniild  orL,rans  and  pianos;  nor  make  luxurious  furniture: 
delicately  -  pencilled  s])ra\s  of  hemlock  served  for  their  repose:  and  as  for  s"cet 
s)-m[)honies,    had   tliey   not    the   forest   with    its  clustered   orL;an-| lines  ? 

After  I'renchman's  |?a\-,  the  next  easterh'  station  of  the  Sulpicians  w;is  at 
Ganeraske'.  \\\'  have  alread\-  been  at  some  pains  to  tnice  the  error  by  which,  in  some 
later  I-"rench  maps,  the  name  " 're\-ov;iL,''on  "  was  m;irk<d  at  i'ort  Hope.  dis|ilacin^- 
"  r.aneraski- "  the  real  name  of  the  Indian  xilki'^c.  Tinoya^-on  was  later  on  discovi'ri'd 
to  Ik;  identical  with  Toronto;  but  as  the  former  n:ime  now  had  shifted  eastward,  the  lat- 
ter name  must  follow.  Thus  it  hapjx'ns  that  in  e:irl\'  con\e\ances  (-overini;-  the  site  of 
Po-t    Hope  the   place   is   called   'I'oronto  ;    indeed,    it   was   to    <iid    the  confusion    that    this 


k 


OF    Jllii   AOKJJI 


109 


c'listcrn  Toronto  was,  in  the  official  post-ofticc  list  of  \Si~.  nanvl  "Smith's  Cnrk." 
An  I'xaMiinalioM  of  contcniporarN'  Miai)s  rcnio\(s  all  ih)ui)l  as  to  the  con'es[)()n(l(Mur  of 
the  ancient  ( "lancraski;  with  the  nioih'in  I'oil  Hope.  V.wn  so  lalch'  as  iSi_^  the  niill- 
sfcani  which  races  thron^^h  tlu;  town  was  cilltnl  in  our  otiicial  ina|)s  and  t;a/cttccrs 
(lancraska  Rivn-.  Ihit,  towards  tlu;  close  ol  the  last  centurx.  I'eler  Smith,  an  honest 
trapper  and  fur-dealer,  -set  up  his  lo;^  hut  1)\-  the  river  near  the  site  of  the  iL;reat 
X'iaduct  that  now  carries  the  drand  Trunk  Railway  across  the  \allt;\' ;  and  then 
(laneraska  Rixcr  hei^an  to  shrink  and  modernize  into  Si)/if//'s  Crrrk.  The  stream  now 
hahhled  nii^ht  and  da\'  o!^  S,iiilh's  lair  commerce,  and  to  the  lin^crin^  shailes  of 
Indians  and  Sulpicians  hecame  tlu?  very  Ri\er  of  ()l)li\ion;  i'\ en  the  ancient  elms  as 
the)'   lapped  of    its  luirr)  ini;'  waters   forgot   the   past,   and   ceased 

"  rescuing 
TlR'ir   old    |)oelic    legends   to    the    wiiul." 

Where  th(>  Ganeraska  entered  the  lake  there  was  lime  out  of  mind  a  natural 
covert  whither  canoes  llew  for  sheitt'r.  Canoe-voya^es  are  over,  and  now  lake-hirds  ol 
longer  and  stronger  llight   haunt   thest'  waters;    hut,   if    a  storm    breaks,   it    is   just    as    it 


STONY     I.AKK,     NKAK     I'KTIKnOKOl'C.lI. 


no 


PlCTiliESQL  H  SPOTS 


was  ot    old :    steamers  and  sail-craft  scud  and   flutter  towards  the  ancient    covert.       This 
natural  gateway  to    the    new-discovered    land  was  not 
overlooked    by    the    Sulpicians.      Fenelon    visited    the 
village  more  than  once,  and    acquired  great    influence 
over    the    Indians,  which,  in    1673,  was  turned    to    ex- 


cellent political  use 
by  Count  Fron- 
tenac. 
In  1671,  DT'rfe  made  a  sojourn  at 
Port  Hope.  Sometimes  he  would  exchange 
places  with  the  Superior  at  Kcnte  :  and 
the  two  Sulpicians  would  often  range  the 
forests  and  neighl)Ouring  ?,\^oxi:\'~,  ''citcrclici' Ics  bn'bis  c'gan'cs" — "to  seek  the  lost  sheep,'  — 
that  Laval's  pastoral  had  so  solemnK-  committed  to  their  charge.  In  such  excursions 
these  pioneers  must  have  l)ecome  familiar  with  the  sites  on  which  havt;  since  arisen 
thriving  towns  and  villages,  and  which  even  in  pre-historic  times  were  singled  out  for 
their  natural  advantages.  Where  the  i\ied  tower  of  the  Collegiatt;  School  now  looks 
down  ui)on  Fort  Hope,  the  .Sulpicians  have  no  doubt  often  stood  and  looked  out  upon 
a  waving  landscape,  of  which  the  neighl)ouring  pine-grove  still  whispers  a  reminiscence. 
As  of  old.  Pine  .Street  leads  down  to  the  harbour;  but  otherwise,  how  altered  the 
.scene !  For  the  silence  and  romantic  gloom  of  sylvan  ravines,  we  have  all  the  bustle 
and  circumstance  of  a  young  cit)',  through  whose  arteries  is  throbbing  the  trade 
of    the   midland  lakes. 

The  Sulpicians  must  have  been  wel'  acquainted  with  the  Co])ourg  Beach,  which  vas 
but  a  couph?  of  leagues  eastwartl.  Two  v-enturies  ago.  it  was  in  great  est('em  for  salmon 
fishing.  .So  the  Manpiis  de  Denonville  wrote  Louis  XIV  in  16.S7.  The  ( iovernor-Cieneral 
had    rested    on    the  site  of    Cobourg  when  returning    with  his    army  from  the  campaign 


OF   THE   NORTH 


III 


in  Seneca  Land.  A  force  of  two  thousand  men  assembled  at  Fort  Cataraqui 
(Kin_ijston),  and  embarked  on  a  llotilla  of  nearly  two  hundred  bateaux.  This  expedition 
brouy;ht  together  names  that  have  since  become  household  words  in  Canada.  Tiie 
veteran  Callieres  comhianded  under  the  Governor  ;  then  caini;  the  Chevalier  ile 
Vau(ilreuil,  ancestor  of  the  Mart|uis  who  governed  Canada  in  iIk;  day  of  Montcalm  ; 
among  the  junior  officers  were  iierthier,  and  Longueuil  le  Moyne.  They  coasted  along 
the  south  shore  of  the  Lake,  and  rendezvoused  at  the  mouth  of  the  Genesee.  Here 
they  were  joined  by  Tonty,  commandant  of  I-'ort  St.  Louis,  with  his  contingent  of 
Illinois  Indians;  by  Durantaye,  commandai.t  at  Mackinac;  and  b\-  Dii  Luth,  who  was 
then  commandant  of  I-'ort  Detroit,  and  whose  own  fort  on  Lake  Superior  is  still  com- 
memorated  by  a  city  on   those  waters. 

Years  afterwards  this  raid  into  Seneca  Land  was  traceable  by  its  ruthless  de\asta- 
tion.  Leaving  a  force  to  rebuild  and  garrison  b'ort  Niagara,  the  expedition  returned 
by  the  north  shore.  After  an  encampment  on  Burlington  Beach,  and  then  at  Toronto, 
where  they  W(,-r(;  detained    by  a  storm  of  wintl  and   rain,  they  reached   Frenchman's   Bay. 


WATCIIINi;    lOK    1)i;ku. 


There    the    Christian    Indians    feast(!d    our    warriors    with    a    d()ul)le    hecatomb    of    deer, 
after  which   the   llotilla  of  bateaux  ran   before  a  light  south-west  wind  to   Cobourg  Beach  : 


w 


112 


PICTURESQ  LIE  SPO  PS 


10 


and  here  the  expedition  encamped  to  reinforce  the  commissariat  with  lake  salmon.  It 
was  the  sixth  of  August,  1687.  Denonville  and  CaUieres  would  pace  the  Ijroad  strand 
toirether.  They  would  at  times  stoj)  short  to  watch  tlu;  restless  lake  rockins^'  like  a 
mighty  loom,  and  weavinsj^  into  endless  patterns  the  gray,  and  purple,  and  black  sands; 
while  coquettish  eddies,  likt'  I'cnelope,  ran  their  fingers  through  the  web  and  ravelled 
it  all  out  again.  When  night  clostal  in,  the  Governor  would  sit  by  the;  water  watching 
the  canoes  of  the  lire-fishers  shooting  like  meteors  across  tlie  harbour.  Mis  eyes  and 
his  thoughts  would  involuntarily  be  borne  towards  that  southern  horizon  so  lately  red- 
dened in'  the  Inirning  of  the  Seneca  villages.  But  no  thought  of  remorse  for  thousands 
of  helpless  women  and  children  left  homeless  and  hungering!  He  is  bethinking  him  in 
what  terms  he  will  set  forth  this  business  so  as  to  flatter  his  royal  master,  and 
advantage  himself.  Two  y  irs  hence  such  an  anniversary  of  this  August  night  will 
come  as  shall  balance  up  the  reckoning,  and  close  Denonville's  administration  with 
that  page  of    blood  and  flame,  entitled    P/ir  Massacre  of  Lachine.  ! 

Charming  lake  and  landward  views  may  be  had  at  Cobourg.  For  them  you  may 
ascend  to  the  campanile  of  Victoria  Hall,  as  the  stately  municipal  building  here  is 
called  ;  or,  better  still,  get  President  Nelles'  permission  to  climb  to  the  roof  of 
Victoria  University.  The  University  which,  from  the  in.scription  over  the  portal,  was 
established  more  than  fifty  years  ago  as  the  "  Upper  Canada  Academy,"  lies  nestling 
in  a  leafy  covert,  like  Plato's  lecture-room  in  the  grove  of  Academus.  I'araday  Hall 
is  a  vigorous  off-shoot  of  the  older  curriculum,  showing  the  President's  resolution  to 
keep  his  University  abreast  of  modern  research.  .\  saunter  through  the  laboratories 
anil  museums  brings  into  startling  neighbourhood  the  slumberous  past  and  the  feverish 
present.  Here  we  found  a  powerful  Gramme  machine  in  process  of  evolution  ;  there 
calmly  slept  an  Egyptian  mummy.  Almost  at  a  stride  we  passed  from  the  era  of 
electrical  tension   into  the  presence  of    a  i)yramid-l)uilder ! 

The  people  of  Cobourg  feel  a  pride  in  tilling  you  how  many  of  their  college 
boys  have  won  distinction  and  influence  ;  the\-  tell  you,  also,  how  many  students  have 
left  the  okl  'iw-otifices  there  to  become  judges,  law-givers,  and  Cal)inet  Ministers.  And 
pray  observe  in  the  local  names  the  lires  of  United  I^mpire  Loyalism  still  glim- 
mering. The  village-nuchnis  of  the  |)roposed  district-town  us(;d  to  be  called  Amherst  ; 
but  when  it  was  conjectured  that  the  Prince  of  Coburg-Gotha  might  become  the 
husbantl  of  the  Princess  X'ictoria.  the  Loxalists  grasped  the  forelock  of  time,  antici- 
pated even  tiie  tlomestic  (liplomatisi  Baron  .Stockmar,  and  called  the  new  district-town 
Col)ur<;,  which  has  since  Ikhmi  unnecessarily  amplifietl  in  the  spelling.  By  an  auspicious 
coincidence,  the  Prince  of  Wales  was  with  us  in  i860  when  \'ictoria  Hall  was  ready 
to  be  inaugurated  ;    and  he  threw   himself    into   the  occasion   with   refreshing  heartiness. 

As  the  Sulpician  pioneers  ascended  from  the  Cobourg  shore  and  climbed  the 
water-shed     that    separates    the    streams    of    the    Trent     X'alley    from    those    of    Lake 


OF   THE  NORTH 


"3 


lave 
Ami 

liin- 
■rst  ; 

ihc 
itici- 
own 
ious 

ad)' 
;ss. 

the 
,ak(! 


114 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


Ontario,  by  gentle  undulations  the  ancient  lake-margins  would  be  reached  with  their 
sandy  soil  and  growth  of  pines  and  oaks.  \\'hc:n  the  highest  ridge  was  gained,  the 
wayfarers  would  face  about  and  view  the  great  lake  now  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  below. 
To  these  first  European  explorers  the  lake  might  well  seem  boundless.  Yet,  often  by 
mirage, — and  sometimes  in  actual  presence,  as  Colonel  Strickland  declares, — might  have 
been  seen,  away  in  the  southern  horizon,  the  farther  rim  of  the  primeval  lake-basin. 
Of  yonder  dim  ridge.  Colonel  Rochester  would,  more  than  a  century  afterwards, 
make  a  "coign  of  vantage"  for  a  great  city.  Pursuing  their  route  and  descending 
the  northern  slope,  they  would  see  gleaming  through  aisles  of  stately  forest  a  great 
link  of  that  noble  lake-chain  which,  for  centuries  of  centuries  before  the  Trent  Valley 
Canal  was  thought  of,  must  have  led  the  forest-ranger  from  the  Bay  of  Quinte  to 
Georgian  Bay.  As  our  pilgrims  approached  the  water,  they  found  it  deeply  fringed 
with  wild  rice,  over  which  hovered  clouds  of  wild  fowl, — beautiful  wood-duck,  with 
summer  glistening  in  their  plumage ;  also  fall  and  winter  duck  just  returned  from 
the  north.  Nor  did  the  birds  take  amiss  the  presence  of  a  few  red-men  who  were 
threshing  some  ripened  rice  into  their  canoes.  Throughout  the  lake  were  scattered 
conical  islets  wooded  with  maples,  already  aflame  with  the  hectic  of  tiic  dying  sum- 
mer; and  at  times  their  bright  leaves  would  fall  on  the  water  like  flakes  of  tire.  So 
Champlain  had  found  this  lake  in  .September,  1615;  and  so,  more  that  half  a  century 
later,  the  Sulpicians  saw  it, — for  in  Rice  Lake  their  explorations  mingled  with  the  earlier 
current  of    adventure. 

In  the  days  of  the  .Sulpicians  there  stood  by  the  north  shore, — apparently  within 
the  present  Indian  Reserve  on  the  Otonabee, — the  Iroquois  village  of  Kentsio,  so  that 
early  French  geographers  called  Rice  Lake  Lac  t/c  Kentsio.  Next  century,  when  Kente 
became  Quinte,  Kentsio  became  Quintio  ;  and,  at  the  v.'ord,  F.nglish  geographers  taking 
a  long  stride  eastward,  called  the  water  "  Lake  Ouinte."  But,  as  already  seen.  Lake 
Quinte  was  a  cove  on  the  lakeward  side  of  Prince  P2dward  County.  Of  this  confusion 
the  notable  result  was  that  neither  of  the  litigants  ultimately  got  the  English  title  ;  it 
was  bestowed  on  a  bay  known  to  the  early  French  as  Lac  St.  I^yon.  This  is  but 
another  instance  of  the  disentanglement  necessary  before  we  can  recover  the  early 
history  of    our  Province. 

The  map  of  Lake  Ontario  has  within  historic  memory  been  over-written  with  five 
series  of  names  and  settlements:  those  of  the  Huron-Algonquin  era;  tiiose  of  the 
Iroquois  domination  ;  those  of  the;  French  occupation  ;  those  of  the  Mississaga  or 
Ojebway  Conquest;  and  those  of  the  English  occupation.  Of  the  Huron-Algoncpiin 
period,  but  slight  traci;  survives  on  Lake  Ontario  beyond  the  name  of  the  lake  itself. 
.'\fter  alternate  fanfares  and  dist^rdces,  it  had  ijcen  rechristened  Lake  St.  Louis,  and 
Lake  of  the  Iroquois;  Frontcnac's  Lake  and  Lake  Cataraciul  :  but  the  grand  old  Lake 
went    calmly    back    to    the    simplicity, — the    majestic    simplicity, —of     its    ancient     name. 


OF   THH   NORTH 


115 


Even  in  Charlevoix's  day, — a  hiincired  ami  sixty  years  ago, — the    undisputed    name    was 
once  more  Ontario,  "  The  Great   Lake." 

Of  the  Iroquois  domination,  also,  hut  few  traces  remain, — a  few  sonorous  names 
hke  Niagara  and  Toronto.  The  race  of  athletes  wiio  lonU.'d  it  over  half  tiie  Continent, 
whose  alliance  was  eagerly  courted  by  France  and  ICngland,  were,  after  all,  unable  to 
maintain  their  foothold  against  the  despised  Ojebways.  Of  these,  the  Mississagas 
became  specially  numerous  and  aggressive,  so  that  their  totem,  the  crane,  was  a  familiar 
hieroglyph  on  our  forest  trees  from  the  beginning  of  last  century.  One  of  the  oldest 
of  Greek  legends  relates  tlie  war  of  the  Cranes  and  Pygmies.  Though  the  foes  of  our 
northern  Cranes  were  not  Pygmies,  but  giants,  they  possessed  not  the  craft  of  the 
little  ancients  who  lived  by  the  ocean  shore.  The  Mississagas  so  muitiplied  in  their 
northern  nests  that  presenth',  by  mere  numbers,  they  overwhelmed  the  Iroquois.  Most 
desperate  fighti.ig  there  was,  and  the  battle-fields  were  still  clearly  traceable  when  English 
pioneers  first  broke  grounil.  Colonel  Strickland,  in  his  ('X|)lorations  of  the  County  of 
Peterborough,  found  near  the  Otonabee  River  the  held  that  gave  the  Mississagas  the 
lordship  of  Rice  Lake  and  Stony  Lake,  and  the  other  lakes  beyond, — a  domain  now  all 
but  shrunken  to  the  little  village  of  Hiawatha.  These  old  tragic  scenes  are  fast  fading 
into  the  twilight  of  a  Homeric  legend.  With  propriety,  probably  unconscious,  a  town- 
ship on  the  lower  edge  of  Rice  Lake  has  b(!en  named  Asphodel, — ^no  unfit  name 
for  well-watered  meadows,  where  the  shades  of  Indian  heroes  may  still  linger!  While 
thus  saimtering  over  our  ancient  battle-grounds,  one's  thoughts  find  words  in  the 
sonnet-dirge    of    our    native    poet,   .Sangster : — 


live 

he 

or 

iiin 

>lf. 


"  My   footsteps   press   where,    centuries   ago, 

The   Red    Men   fought   and    conquered  ;     lost   and    won. 
VVI;ole   tril)es   .uid   races,   gone   like   last    year's   snow, 

Have    found    ihc    ICternal    Hunting   Grounds,    and    ,un 
The    tiery   gauntlet   of  their    active    days, 

Until    few   are    left   to   tell   the    mournful    tale ; 
And    these    inspire    us    with    such    wild    ania/e 

They   seem    like   spectres    passing    down    a    vale 
Steeped    in    uncertain    inoonlight.    on    their    way 

Towards   some   bourn    where    darkness   blinds    the    day, 
And   night   is   wrapped    in    mystery    prolound. 

We   cannot   lift    the    mantle    of  the    past  : 
We   seem   to    wander   over    hallowe  I    grounci  : 

We    scan    the    trail    of  Thought,    but    all    is    overcast.'' 


le. 


The  Mississagas,  though  not  endowed  witli  either  the  Mohawk  verve  or  intellect,  were 
no  more  destitute  of  poetry  than  of  valour.  Take  the  names  of  some  of  their  chiefs. 
One    chief's    name    signified    "He    who    makes    footsteps    in     the    sky";    .mother    was 


Ii6 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


li 


ENTRANC1-;     TO     IKON     ORE     MINKS,     MADOC. 


Waivanosh,  "  He  who  ambles  the  water."  The  Rev.  Peter  Jones  was,  throii^-h  his 
mother,  descended  from  a  famous  line  of  [joetic  warriors  ;  his  grandfather  was  Waitbuno, 
"  The  Morning  Light."  On  occasion,  the  Mississaga  could  come  down  to  prose. 
Scugog  describes  the  clay  bottom  and  submerged  banks  of  that  lake,  which,  taking  a 
steamer  at  Port  Perry,  we  traverse  on  our  summer  excursion  to  Lindsay  and  Sturgeon 
Lake.  Chemong  aptly  names  the  lake  whose  tide  of  silt  sometimes  even  retards  our 
canoe  when  we  are  fishing  or  fowling.  Onicmcc,  "  the  wild  pigeon,"  has  given  its  name 
not  only  to  Pigeon  Lake  and  its  chief  afifluent,  but  to  the  town  where  Pigeon  Creek 
lingers    on    its    course    to    the    lake.     Sturgeon    Lake    is    linked    to    Pigeon    Lake   by  a 


OF   THE  NORTH 


117 


j-M 


tloiiI)le  jj^ateway.  This  "rocky  portal"  the  Mississaj^as  dcscrilxd  hy  Bobcays^eon.  In 
our  time  tlic  namo  lias  been  transferred  to  the  romantic  viljai^c  on  tlic  upper  outlet, 
and  the  latter  is  now  the  "  North  River."  My  a  reprehensible  levity,  the  lower  outlet 
is  now  called  "The  Little  liob."  '\'\\v  X^-mw^x  Bcaulwcagc,  \\\w\\  jdit-s  between  Lindsay 
and  Bobcayj^eon,  would  evidently  take;  us  back  for  the  latter  name  to  the  old  b'rcnch 
explorers,  and  to  their  outspoken  adniiralion  of  the  /ovr/v  iK<oodla)ids  on  these  waters. 
At  tlu;  south-west  corner  of  Stony  Lakit  tin?  ovcrllow  of  the  whole  lake-chain  is 
jrath(;red  into  a  crystal  funnel,  well-named  "Clear  Lake,"  and  thence  poured  into  Rice 
Lake  throuL,di  the  Otonabec:.  This  tine  river  tlows  south-westerly,  cxpiindini^r  at  Lake- 
field  into  Ketchewanook,  tiie  "Lake  of  the  Rapiils";  thence,  betw(;en  bokl  antl  rocky 
banks,  the  Otonabee  races  rather  then  tlows  to  Peterborough,  the  channel  descendinj^f, 
accordin*:^  to  Rubidirc^'s  survey,  a  hundred  anil  forty-seven  feet  within  nine;  miles. 
Riding  on  this  current,  even  the  massive  rafts  of  the  olden  time  used  to  gallop  tlu; 
distance  within  an  hour.  The  wise  millwrights  at  Lakefield  and  Peterborough  grasp  the 
mane  of  this  wild  river,  and  make  him  take  many  a  turn  at  their  whiiels.  By  the  time 
he  has  escaped  the  millers  of  Peterborough  and  Ashburnham,  1ms  tawn\-  back  is  flecked 
with  foam  and  sawdust,  and  his  spirit  is  somewhat  cpielled.  Wen-  we  to  follow  him 
over  an  erratic  course  some  twenty-tive  milt's  farther,  we  should  tmd  him  champing 
the  sedges  around  a  delta  at  Rice  Lake.  I'"rom  this  delta  the  river  got  its  Indian 
name,  Otonabee, — "  Mouth-Water." 

On  Rice  Lake,  the  chief  Lidian  settlement  is  Hiaw.itha, —named  after  the  Hercules 
of  Ojebway  mjtholctgy,  whom  the  American  poet  has  immortalizeil  in  his  melodious 
trochaics.  At  Hiawatha  and  on  Scugog  Island,  you  may  still  t'nul,  in  the  ordinary 
language  of  the  Ojebway,  fragments  of  tine  imagery  and  picture-talk,  often  in  the  very 
words  which  Longfellow  has  so  happily  woven  into  his  poem.  And  the  scenery  of  this 
Trent  Valley  reproduces  that  of  the  Vale  of  Tawasentha.  Here  are  "the  wild  rice  ot 
the  river,"  and  "the  Indian  village,"  and  "the  groves  of  singing  pine-trees,  ever  sigh- 
ing, ever  singing."  At  Fenelon  Falls  we  have  the  "  Laughing  Water,"  and  not  far 
below  is  Sturgeon  Lake,  the  realm  of  the  "  King  of  fishes."  Sturgeon  of  portentous 
size  are  yet  met  with,  though  falling  somewhat  short  of  the  comprehensive  fish  sung 
by   Longfellow,  which  swallowed   Hiawatha,   canoe  and   all  ! 

Among  these  forests,  too,  dwelt  once  Megissogwon,  that  "  mightiest  of  magicians," 
who,  "guarded  by  the  black  pitch-water,  sends  the  fever  from  the  marshes."  Our 
fathers  and  grandfathers  knev/  this  magician  only  too  well  ;  felt  him  far  off.  and  shook  at 
his  coming!  They  fough.  him,  not  like  Hiawatha  with  jasper-headed  arrows,  but  with 
the  woodman's  axe.  Like  the  Indian  hero,  our  pioneer  was  often  "wounded,  weary, 
and  desponding,  with  his  mittens  torn  and  tattered."  A  friendly  woodpecker  cheered 
on  Hiawatha  to  the  contest,  and,  by  his  timely  hint  to  aim  at  the  magician's  head, 
won    a    tuft    of    crimson    feathers    as   his    share    of    the    bloody    spoils    which    followed. 


Ii8 


PICTURESQUE  SPO IS 


to  its  ])i(in(M'rs  tlian  this  cliann- 
ing  and  now  most  healthful  lake- 
laiul.      Some  of  the  finest   tfiwns 


^^^^^m\ 

fMgr'^^-^.-. 

■r 

lfc«^^2^iJ^^E»,^_       **■ 

~ 

^      '% 

or    THl-:   MORTH 


"9 


WfTc,  two  i,rcncrati()iis  asj^o,  juiii^lfs 
n;ckin<4  witli  malaria,  ami  infcstccl  I)y 
wolves,  hlack-tlit's,  l>lack  snakes,  and 
black   hears.       All    honcMir    to    the   men 

whose  iiands  or  brain  workeii  the  transformation  I  Tiioir  services  were'  but  seklom 
remembereil  in  tin;  naming-  of  our  towns.  "  I'ort  Perry,"  by  an  after-thoug^ht,  revived 
tile  memorv  of  the  founder  of  Whitby.  Lindsay  is  nametl,  well  and  worthily,  after 
a  poor  axe-man,  who  iK^rished  in  the  survey  of  tiie  cedar  swam|),  throu_L,di  the  heart 
of  which  Kent  Street  was  carried.  Peterborouij^h  is  now  entering-  on  the  tliij^nity  of 
a  city;  l)ut  the  name  very  properly  takes  back  our  thoutjhts  to  ICS25,  and  to  the  con- 
dition of  .Scott's  Plains,  when  Peter  Robinson  led  thither  his  first  band  of  Irish 
immigrants.  After  building  a  long  boat,  he  made  a  preliminary  ascent  of  the 
Otonabee  with  twenty  native  Canadians  ami  thirty  of  tlie  healthiest  of  the  immi- 
grant.s.  Mr.  Robinson  ailds  :  "Not  one  of  these  men  escaped  the  ague  ami  fever, 
and   two  died." 

Among  its  first  settlers,  Lakefield  received  no  less  than  three  of  the  literary 
Stricklands, — Colonel  Strickland  and  his  sisters,  Mrs.  Moodie  and  Mrs.  Traill.  H)  their 
graceful  contributions  to  our  native  literature,   Lakefield  and   Rice   Lake  became    known 


130 


riCTURtiUQUH  SPOTS 


far  beyond  the  limits  of   Canaila,      I  )r.    Todli-'s  liarly  Stttlcmcnt  of  l\ti'rhorough    is  also 
an  important  contrilnitioii  to  tlu;  county  annals. 

In  tin:  Coiintit!s  of  l'cti;rl)oroiij,rh  and  I  lastinj^s.  \\v  lind  thr  liorderland  Ix-tween 
the  oldest  si-dinu:ntary  rocks  and  the  still  more  ancient  Laincntian  sciries.  The  Silurian 
limestones  ar«!  expressed  in  tlic  music  of  ri(  ii  woodlands,  or  in  rounded  knolls  of 
venlurc  ;  hut  some  of  the  most  (harmin);  lakes  owe  their  wild  beauty  to  the  Lauren- 
tian  formation,  which  often  al)ruptly  closes  the  vista  with  heetlinj,^  craj^^s  of  nil  or 
grey  gneiss.  At  Stony  Lake,  this  red  granitic  gn(;iss  rises  throu_i;h  the  lake-lloor,  form- 
ing the  islands  lately  whiteneil  hy  the  tents  of  the  American  Canoe  Association.  That 
was  a  joyous  occasion  not  soon  to  In;  forgotten.  If  you  ask  how  the  time  was  spent, 
Emerson    must   answer : 


111 


"Ask    you,    how    wciil    tlio    lioiirs? 
All   ilay    we   swept   the     lake,   searched   every    cove 
North    from    Camp    Maple,   south    to    (Xsprey    Bay, 
Walchhi^r   whfii    the   hnid   (higs   shouhl  <lrive    in   tieer  j 
Or   whippini;    its    rou^jli    surface   for   a    trout; 
Or    hathfrs,    divinj;   from    the    rock    at    noon; 
Ch.illeii(;inj,'   echo   by    our  ^\\<c\9.   and    cries ; 
Or   listening    to   the   laughter    of  the   loon  ; 
Or   in    tlie    evening   twilight's    latest    red, 
neholding    the   procession    of  the    pines  ; 
Or,    later   yet,    beneath    a   lighted    jack, 
In   the   boat's   bows,   a   silent   night-hunter 
Stealing   with   paddle    to   the    feeding-grounds 
Of  the    red   deer,    to   aim    at   a   square    mist. 
Hark    to    that    mutHed    roar!    a    tree    in    the    woods 
Is   fallen  ;     but    hush  !   it    h,is    not  scared    the   buck 
Who   stands  astonished    at    the    meteor   light. 
Then   turns   to    bound   away, — is   it    too    late  ?  " 


Farther  eastward,  in  the  township  of  Madoc,  we  apparently  find  the  transition 
from  the  fused  sediments  of  a  lifeless  world  to  the  first  dawn  of  life  ;  for  overlying 
the  Upper  Laurentian  rocks  are  slaty  limestones,  containing  the  now  famous  liozoon 
Canadense~-\\'\\o?,ii  name  Dr.  Dawson  devised,  and  whose  character  he  triumphantly 
vindicated.  Exteriorly,  this  fossil  resembles  a  handful  of  petrified  floss-silk,  but,  care- 
fidly  examined  with  a  microscope,  it  betrays  the  food  canals  of  a  structure  once 
animated.  To  the  miner  and  metallurgist,  Madoc  Township  became  in  the  fall  of  1866 
an  object  of  the  keenest  interest  from  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  upper  course  of 
the  Moira,  at  the  point  thenceforward  known  as  the  Richardson  Mine.  Over  a  tract 
following  the  river  for  sixteen  miles,  gold  has  been  found  in  considerable  quantity 
diffused  through  arsenical  iron  pyrites,  as  at  the  gold  mines    of  Reichenstein  in  Silesia. 


OF   THE  NORTir 


181 


TIlis    auriferous    mispickel    v\\ 

well    yiclil    lartje     profits ;     but 

the  separation  of  goUl  from  sulphur 

and   arsenic,    and    iron  and    lime    is 

a    process    of    j^reat    delicacy, — one 

therefore    not    to    be    intrusted    to 

htills  and  bears.       From    wild    speculation,   Madoc    has    most    undeservedly  suffered.       A 

better    time    is   coming.       At    the    works    of    the    Consolidated    (iold    Minint^    Company, 

the  scientific  difficulties    have    been  honestly  jjjrapjjled  with,  and,  we    l)elieve,   completely 

solved.      The  process    employed  is    based    on    the    chlorination  method    of    Plattner,  but 

carried  to  a  degree  of    refinement   never    attempted    by    the  famous    I'Veyberg  professor. 

Of   the   by-products,   tht;    most    important    is    arsenic,  which   is  obtained    in    tons,  and  is 

in    constant    demand   for  calico-printing,  as    well   as  for    the    manufacture  of    glass,    Paris 

green,  and  aniline  dyes. 

Iron  mining  in  this  district  has  long  been  associated  with  the  township  of 
Marmora,  but  deposits,  of  either  magnetite,  or  hematite  have  been  found  in  workable 
quantity  at  various  points  in  the  Laurentian  rocks,  from  the  rear  of  Helleville  to  the 
rear  of    Kingston. 

From  the  Seymour  mine,  magnetic  iron  ore  has  been  largely  drawn  to  supply 
the  Cleveland  furnaces;  for,  unfortunately,  Seymour's  blast-furnace  in  Madoc  has  long 
been  cold,  and  the  proposed  steel  works  at  Belleville  have  not  yet  been  erected. 
Cleveland  also  takes  largely  of  the  hematite  of  this  Madoc  district,  which  is  found 
to  yield  iron  of  great  purity  and  tensile  strength.  The  ore  occurs  chiefly  in  red 
amorphous  masses,  but  often  inclosing  specular  iron  in  lustrous  crystals.  This  mining 
district  of  Central  and  Eastern  Ontario  has  hitherto  been  somewhat  difficult  of  access  ; 
but,  with  the    Ontario  and    Quebec    Railway    carried    through    the    heart  of  the  district. 


122 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


and  intersecting  the  railroads  from  Belleville,  Napanee,  and  Kingston,  there  will  be  no 
difficulty   in  delivering  minerals  at  any  desired  point. 

Important  auxiliaries  will,  of  course,  be  found  in  the  Trent  Valley  Canal  and 
in  its  necessary  complement,  the  Murray  Canal.  Tliis  latter  project,  which  takes  its 
name  from  th(;  adjoining  townshi[),  was  seriously  discussed  by  our  great-grandfathers; 
but  only  in  this  day,  after  nearly  a  luindred  years  of  talk  and  squabble,  has  the 
project  ripened  into  performance.  The  Murray  Canal  will  divide  the  narrow  neck  of 
lai.d  that  joins  Prince  Kdward  County  to  the  mainland,  thus  opening  a  w^.tern  gate- 
way into  th(-'  romantic  Bay  of  Ouin^i-,  and  making  lake-ports  of  what  were  before 
secluded    liay-inlets. 

Of  the  Trent  X'alley,  as  It  was  two  lumdred  and  seventy  years  ago,  Champlain 
gave  sucli  glimpses  as  must  have  stirreil  the  sportsmen  at  the  court  of  Mary 
dc'  Mi'dici  and  Louis  XIII.  The  tish  and  fishing  of  the  Midland  Lakes  were,  he  said,  of 
undoui)ted  (excellence  ;  and  "  it  is  certain  that  the  whole  region  is  very  charming  and 
delightful."  Along  the  lake  and  river  margins  the  trees  sieemed  planteil  for  pleasure- 
grounds,  suggesting  to  this  first  (txplorer  whether,  in  a  l)y-gone  age,  the  country  had 
not  been   peopK'il    b\'  a    race    who    had    abantloned    it    ow\\  through    stress    of    invasion. 


■■:^l  '^'^^* 

HL- 

'  ?mmiM.. 

-m 

^^^^^^H^'3HhviSS^       !^^^/ ^^^    ^^ 

■     'i"  V>       ...-.v     vir  .A.        "  :■' 

^c3HE!^^^?<             \t^ 

rt'^     ■ 

•                            ..     . -'  > 

..- .  -■*--'-     '■.•,1.'' 

^  f  ' 

'Mc^m^- 

:"^^^^:!;^:' 

■:'''^-'''\-  \y.£ 

;-  >:- . 

PAKLKY    HARVEST. 


OF    THH   NORTH 


123 


Vines  and  walnuts  <gre.\\  in  profusion.  As  to  .Sfame,  there  was  no  counting  the  deer 
and  bears.  Four  or  five  hundred  Indians  of  his  party  would  form  into  two  columns, 
widely  divcrijent  at  the  base-line  of  the  hunt,  but  convert^! nji^  to  a  point  on  the  Trent. 
Some  active  sportsmen  would  now  beat  the  woods,  and,  raisin^r  the  game  with  their 
cries,  would  drive  it  within  the  lines  of  the  wedge.  Any  game  that  escaped  at  the 
outlet  must  take  to  the  river,  where  Indians  armed  with  spears  wen;  waiting  in 
canoes.  Captivated  with  the  ingenuity  of  this  ])rimitive  battue,  Champlain  must  needs 
join  in  the  sport  with  his  arquchitsc.  This  ponderous  piece  of  antiquity,  when  brought 
into  action,  was  supported  on  a  rest  and  held  to  its  place  by  an  iron  brace  ;  and  our 
old  Governor,  taking  aim  with  his  ordnance,  woukl  now  suggest  a  surveyor  taking 
levels  with  a  theodolite.  Then  the  old  blunderbuss  was  subject  to  dangerous  illusions ; 
for  among  some  undoubted  deer,  Champlain  found  with  dismay  that  he  had  brought 
down  an  Indian  !  Not  killed,  fortunately  ;  and  the  Indian's  wounds  were  presently 
healed  over  by  generous  /ari^cssc.  So  our  merry-men  made  i\\v.  gretMiwood  echo  with 
their  sport  until  the)-  reached  the  Haj-  of  Ouinte.  But,  like  the  fu.nous  hunt  of 
Chevy  Chase,  this  sport  was  leading  up  to  serious  business ;  and,  as  the  old  English 
ballad    said  ; 

"  TliL-   child    would    rue    that    was    unl)orii 
Tlu-    hunting    ol    tiial   day." 


A  raid  was  designed  against  Onondaga  Lantl  across  the  Lake.  In  Prince  Edward 
County  there  is  a  headland  that  well  remembers'  tiie  crossing  ;  for  from  that  occasion 
it  got  its  name  Point  Traverse.  Reaching  the  site  of  the  future  Oswego,  Champlain 
struck  inland  and  delivered  his  attack  on  the  Onondaga  stronghold.  But,  despite 
blunderbusses,  and  the  impetuous  assault  of  tlie  llurons,  and  a  most  desperate  effort 
to  fire  this  hornets'-nest,  the  lithe  inmates  beat  off  their  assailants  with  loss,  and 
lodged  their  barbs  in  Champlain's  leg  and  knee-pan.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but 
retreat.  Packed  in  a  hamper,  and  strapped  to  a  Huron's  back,  he  was  borne  to 
the  lake-shore  in  frightful  torment,  —or,  as  the  bluff  oUl  sailor  himself  e.xclaims  in 
his  antitpu;  I'rench,  iainais  I'c  nc  uicstois  vch  en  vnc  telle  oekeniic.  Champ'ain's  wounds 
soon  h(!aled  ;  but  not  so  the  breach  with  the  Iroquois,  who  thenceforward  waged 
a  merciless  border-war  on   the   P'rench   Colony. 

BellevilU;  offered  in  the  original  form  of  its  name, — Bellville, — a  compliment  to 
Arabella,  the  wife  of  Governor  Gore ;  just  as  the  irore  District  was  designed  to 
immortalize  Sir  P"rancis  himself,  and  as  the  County  of  Halton  still  commemorates 
his  secretary.  Major  Halton.  l""or  its  altered  name,  Belleville  hnds  ample  justification 
in  the  beauty  of  the  city  ami  its  neighbourhood.  As  to  the  French  aspect  of  tin; 
name,  we  may  still   fuul  on   the   River   Moira,  French  Canadians  girt  with  red  sashes,  and 


w 


124 


PICTURESQ  UE  SPO  TS 


\\ 


r./iY     OK     QUINTK,     KKUM     ABOVli     STONK     MILLS. 


OF   THE   NORTH 


125 


lightening  their  log-rolling  with  quavers  of  voyageur  songs.  Many  of  the  streets  are 
shaded,  and  some  are  even  overarched  with  trees.  Hard  by  these  aisles  of  towering 
maples  are  tiie  domestic  sanctuaries  of  wealth  and  fashion.  The  transition  to  this 
romantic  twilight  from  the  glare  and  bustle  of  Front  Street,  Is  a  very  delightful 
experience  of  an  .August  day.  Of  public  buildings,  this  young  cit)'  has  a  full  share  ; 
the  Post-Office  and  City  Hall  are  notably  good.  When  the  lofty  clock-tower  of  the 
City  Hall  is  lit  up  at  night,  the  dial  can  be  seen  far  ilown  the  Bay  of  Ouinte,  and  is 
a  welcome  beacon  to  mariners  hurrying  homewards.  Belleville  is  the  seat  of  .Alexandra 
College  and  .Albert  University.  A  little  beyond  the  city  limits  lies  thc!  extensive  pile 
of  buildings,  occupied  by  the  Provincial  Institution  for  Deaf  .Mutes.  Straying  into  one 
of  the  sacred  edifices  that  give  Church  Street  its  name,  we  tind  on  the  wall  a  memorial 
tablet  to  the  Rev.  William  Case,  and  are  thus  reminded  that  the  Bay  of  Ouinte  was 
the  cradle  of  Canadian  INIethotlism.  As  early  as  1791,  the  Cataraqui  Circuit  had  been 
established,  covering  Kingston  and  the  Ouinte  shores;  l)ul  in  1795  the  iieadcpiarters 
of  the  Circuit  were  definitely  placed  on  the  Bay  of  Ouinte.  Radiating  from  this  focus 
of  energy,  the  movement  spread  over  all  the  land,  attaining  in  the  end  the  vast 
dimensions  of    the    United   Methodist   Church  of    Canada. 

A  morning  excursion  down  the  Bay  from  Trenton  or  Belleville  to  Picton  and  the 
Lake  on  the  Mountain,  is  one  of  those  delightful  summer  memories  that  one  likes 
to  lay  u])  for  winter  use.  .Among  these  winding  and  romantic  shores,  the  mora 
destructive  form  of  enterprise  has  happilv  stayed  its  hand,  so  that  much  of  the  primi- 
tive beauty  survive.s.  And  then  the  charm  of  this  famous  Bay  is  in  no  sliglit  measure 
due  to  cloud  effects  and  the  changeful  humour  of  the  sun.  .An  hour  ago  he  rose 
without  a  cloud,  and  even  now  "lie  fires  the  proutl  tops  of  the  eastern  pines"; 
but  presently  he  will  he  revealed  only  through  rifts  in  the  cloud-wrack,  or  by  broken 
shafts  of  light  ;  ami  in  the  afternoon  we  shall  have  a  delightful  season  of  dreamy, 
vaporous  sunshine,  like  sweet  hours  stolen  from  Indian  .Summer.  These  inlets  and  the 
wooded  headlands,  and  the  waving  ixirley-fields  beyond,  keep  time,  like;  olil  Polonius, 
to  the  fitful  humour  of  their  prince;.  .Sometimes,  under  the  joyous  sunlight,  these 
wrinkled  coves  break  into  peal  on  peal  of  youthful  laughter,  as  though  the)-  had  not 
assisted  in  laying  the  \ery  foundations  of  the  world  ;  at  oth(!r  hours  they  answer 
the  uncertain  sun  with  no  more;  than  a  sad  smile;  while,  in  his  hours  of  gloom,  you 
may  hear  these  ancient  shores  grieving  and  wailing  over  some  mysterious  and  tragic 
sorrow. 

The  old  Indian  names  along  the  Ouinte  .shores  were  nearly  all  tramph-d  under  foot 
in  the  shameless  tuft-hunting  of  our  early  Governors;  one  instance  will  sufifice.  At 
Belleville,  the  ancient  River  .Sagonaska  was  re-named  to  flatter  the  Earl  of  Moira  ;  and 
even  his  baronies  were  detailed  in  the  County  of  "  Hastings,"  and  the  Townships  of 
"  Rawdon "  and  "  Hungerford."     The    front  townships   are  of   an  older  christening,  and 


126 


PI  CI  URESQ  UE  SPO 1 S 


iif 


manifestly  point  to  tin;  year  1783,  when  Lord  Sydney  was  Foreign  Secretary,  anu 
Thurlow  was  Lord  Chancellor  in  the  first  cabinet  of  the  Duke  of  Portland.  On  the 
south  shore  the  names  form  a  kind  of  family  group  of  George  the  Third's  children. 
Prince  Edward  County  was  named  from  the  King's  fourth  son,  Edward,  Duke  of  Kent, 
the  father  of  Queen  Victoria.  Then  the  first  seven  townships, — or  "towns"  as  they 
were  called, — in  Upper  Canada,  were  dedicateil  to  George  III  and  his  family;  so  we 
got  King's  Town  (Kingston),  Fredericksburgh.  Ernest  Town,  Adolphus  Town,  Marys- 
burgh,  Sophiasburgh,  and  .\meliasburgh.  Amelia? — -every  one  who  has  read  Thackeray 
remembers  her, — the  pretty  little  maiden  prattling  and  smiling  in  the  arms  of  the  fond 
old  King,  her  father,— and  then  her  death  in  the  bloom  of  womanhood,  and  the  shock 
to  the  father's  reason  :  "  the  darling  of  his  old  age  killed  before  him  untimely  ;  our 
Lear  hangs  over  her  breathless  lips,   and  cries,   '  Cordelia,   Cordelia,   stay  a  little ! '  " 

In  our  course  down  the  Bay,  the  Varuna  has  touched  at  Mississaga  Point,  in 
Ameliasburgh,  landing  at  their  favourite  picnic-ground  holiday-makers  from  Belleville. 
Thenct;  onward  between  the  shores  of  .Sophiasburgh  and  Tyendinaga.  The  latter  is 
named   from   that  regal   son  of  the  forest,  whose   English   name  is  enclosed   in   Brantford. 

A  notable  Mohawk  chief  of  the  last  century, — and  a  cousin  of  Brant, — ^has  lent 
his  sonorous  name  to  Deseronto,  the  busy  tlour-and-lumber  port  we  have  now  reached. 
On  asking  a  Mohawk  resident  to  spell  the  name,  he  wrote  it  /hjy-say-roii//i-yon,  and 
translated  it,  "  Thunder  and  Lightning."  !K  more  familiar  English  title  for  the  chief 
was  "  Captain  John  "  ;  an  insular  fragment  of  his  once  extensive  demesne  la}'  but  a 
little  ago  under  our  bows,  and  abreast  of  us,  on  the  north  mainland,  lay  his  Indian 
church  and  grove.  At  Deseronto,  log-rafts  from  the  Trent,  Moira,  and  Napanee,  are 
sawn  into  planks  and  boards,  antl  lath  and  shingles,  which  are  shipped  chietly  to 
Oswego  for  American  consumption.  No  raw  material  is  wasted  at  this  mill.  .-Xfter 
laths  are  taken  out  of  the  "slabs,"  the  residue  is  cut  into  kindling-wood  and  faggoted; 
then,  by  an  ingenious  cable-railway,  passed  to  the  water's-edge,  and  shipped  to  lake- 
cities  for  starting  their  breakfast   fires. 

As  the  steamer  swings  out  of  Deseronto,  we  get  a  noble  perspective  of  the  Long 
Reach,  which,  crossing  our  late  path,  extends  from  Napanee  River  to  Picton  Bay.  Dr. 
Canniff,  who  has  not  only  collected  the  domestic  annals  of  the  Bay  of  (hiinti-,  hut 
with  a  loving  eye  studied  its  scenery  under  all  lights,  considers  this  p<irspectivc  of  the 
Long  Reach  the  most  enchanting  view   of   all. 

Nine  miles  beyond  the  head  of  tlu!  Reach,  stands  the  anci(!nt  town  of  Napanee 
on  a  dark  and  deep  ri\cr.  wiiicli  is  sul)j(;ct  to  a  curious  two-hour  tide,  re[)resentipg  a 
variation  of  sixteen  inches  in.  mean  level,  but  sometimes  reaching  as  great  a  fluctuation 
as  thirty  inches.  Na[)ai)ee  River  is  navigable  for  ^masted  schooners  up  to  the  old 
Cartwrigiit  mill,  which  formrd  tlu;  nucleus  of  the  modern  town,  and  suggeslcil  to  the 
Mississagas  the   name  Nan-pau-nay,   "  Flour."      We    have    already    notict^d    the    existence 


OF    Tllli   XOKTll 


127 


'"'Ik' 
Dr. 

luit 

the 

ince 
a 

lioil 
old 
the 

Mice 


i.,\,<v.  OF  Till     \i.-.  .\;  v;... 


here  of  an  early  Iro 
(|iK)is  village,  ( laiiiie- 
ious,  which,  in  i<)()S  or 
1669,  became  an  out- 
post of  the  Kcnte 
Mission.  The  imscnt 
Indian  name  is  not 
unhappil)  chosen,  lor 
desi)ite  several  im- 
portant maniilactures, 
Napanee's  chiet  trade 
is  in  lireadstntls.  AKoxe 
the  old  mill  is  a  liean- 
tifiil  cascade,  most  pic- 
tin-i'S([uel)-    broken     by 


128 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


' 


ledges  of  limestone  ;  and,  still  hit^her  up,  tin:  river  is  spanned  by  a  fine  viaduct-bridjjfe 
of  the  Grand  Triini<    Railway. 

At  the  southern  i^^n^  of  the  Long-  Reach,  the  water  contracts  within  two  lofty 
shores  into  Picton  Bay,  on  entering  wiiich  we  find  the  town  itself  closing  the  lovely 
vista.  Picton  is  named  after  Major-General  .Sir  Thomas  I'icton,  who  It'd  the  5th  Divis- 
ion at  Waterloo,  and  fell  in  the  action.  '\\\v  iligh  .Shore,  which  has  accompanied  us 
since  we  were  abreast  of  Hay  Bay,  reaches  its  greatest  elevation  at  the  celebrated 
Lake  of  the  Mountain.  Here  wv.  disembark  and  fall  to  climbing  the  steep  asccMit. 
The;  outlook  from  tlu;  top  well  rewartls  the  i)ilgrim  ;  it  would  be  difficult  to  llnd  a  love- 
lier panorama  of  lake  and  woodland,  grecMiswartl  and  waving  harvest.  Within  th(;  heart 
of  the  mountain  is  th(!  singular  lake,  whose  source  of  supply  Is  an  enigma.  Cienerally 
full,  and  even  brimming  over,  it  has  no  apparent  feeder.  Being  on  a  level  with  the 
far  distant  Lake  Erie,  it  has  long  bi'en  conjectured  that  thert;  may  be  a  communication 
between  them,  just  as  the  .Stymphalian  Lake  in  an  older  Arcadia  was  supposed  to 
have  an  underground  pipe  into  Argolis.  (Jur  lake  measures  live  or  six  miles  round, 
and  abounds  in  (ish,--p(;rch  and  black  bass,  pickerel  and  pike.  The  "  water-i)rivileg(,' " 
here  attracted  pionejr  millers,  but  gristing  in  those  ilays  tliffered  as  much  from  the 
"gradual  reduction"  process  now  going  on  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  as  the  old  water- 
wheel  did  from  the  scientific  turbine.  Hy  an  iron  tliune,  no  more  than  seventeen 
inches  in  diameter,  powc;r  is  tlrawn  from  the  lake  above  to  tlrive  a  model  grist-mill,  a 
plaster-mill,  a  horse-shoe  factory,  a  fcnmdr)-  and  machine  shoj).  The  entire  machinery 
of  the  two  last  is  driven  by  a  three-inch  stream  and  a  "Little  Giant"  turbine,  which 
would  easily  revolve  in  one  of  the  workmen's  dinner-pails.  The  performance  of  this 
bottle-imp   is  a  genuine  curiosity. 

On  the  lakeward  side  of  Prince  Edward  County,  The  Sandbanks  are  very  remark- 
able objects  of  interest.  Lofty  ridges  of  sand,  appearing  from  a  distance  as  white  as 
snow,  w('re  originall)-  in  some  obscure  way  thrown  up  at  the  water's  edge  ;  but,  by  a 
kind  of  glacier  movement,  which  [)roce(;ds  only  in  the  winter,  they  have  now  withdrawn 
from  the  shore  and  are  encroaching  on  the  adjacent  farms  at  the  rate  of  about  150 
feet  a  year.  The  active  agent  in  the  movement  appears  to  be  the  drifting  snow 
which  entangles  the  santl  and  carries  it  forward.  On  the  hottest  day  snow  may  be 
found  a  short  distance  tlown,  as  we  proved  b\-  repeated  trial  at  various  points  of 
the  banks.  llistoricall\-,  too,  Big  .Saiuly  Bay  is  most  interesting.  It  was  on  the  cove 
within,  now  calle-il  West  Lake,  that  in  166S  the  Kenle  Mission  was  established.  There 
began  the  exploration  of  our  Lake  Ontario  shore,  and  there,  following  in  the  wake  of 
the  Sulpicians,  our  exploration  now  ends. 


OF   THE   NORJ  H 


129 


EASTERN     ONTARIO, 


ite  as 
3>-  a 
raw  11 
'50 
snow 
L\-  be 
:s  of 
cove 
lu're 
of 


T>ASSING  clown  the 

(|iiit;t  waters  of 
Ouintd,  shut  in  from  the 
threat  Lake  outside  by 
the  long  low-lying  shore 
of  Amherst  Island, — 
formerly  called  Isle  of 
Tonti,  in  memory  of 
I)e  la  Salle's  trusted 
lieutenant,  —  the  grey 
mass  of  the  city  of 
Kingston  is  seen  crown- 
ing the  slope  of  the 
curving  shore.  I'rom 
tile  western  extremity 
of  the  curve,  the  setting 
sun  crimsons  the  wide 
expanse  of  Lake 
Ontario.  F.ast- 
ward,     the     clian-  '. 

\w\  of   the    St. 
Lawrence     be- 


Towards  this    point, 


I.AKE  OF  THK  ISLES, 
THOUSAND  ISLANDS. 


gins     to     lie     tletined 
by  a  line  of    islands. 
To     the     north      extends     a 
reach  of  what  anywhere  else 
would  seem  a    noble    river — 
the  Cataraqiii,  which   gave    to  the 
place  its  early  name, 
where  the    lake    and  river    meet," 


on  a  midsummer's  day  more  than  two    centuries  ago,   there  steered  its  way,  up  through 


II 


I3C 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


1 


ii 


ifi 


H 


OF    THE   NORTH 


131 


the  mazes  of  the  Thousand  Islands,  a  flotilla  of  a  splendour  never  seen  before  in  these 
remote  waters.  First,  came  four  lines  of  canoes,  then  two  large  and  j^aily-painted 
flat-boats  or  bateaux,  adorned  with  cpiaint  and  mysterious  devices,  followed  by  a  long 
train  of  canoes,  a  hundred  and  twenty  in  all.  In  the  first  canoe  of  the  train  was  a 
cluster  of  French  officers,  conspicuous  among  them  the  stately  figure  of  the  Count  de 
Frontenac,  Governor  of  New  France.  The  bright  sun  shone  on  gold-laced  uniforms,  and 
the  measured  beat  of  the  paddles  kept  time  to  the  strains  of  martial  music ;  but  it  was 
no  holiday  cruise  that  had  been  experienced  during  the  fortnight  that  had  intervened 
between  the  embarkation  at  Lachine  and  the  arrival  at  Cataraqui.  The  ascent  of  such 
a  river  as  the  St.  Lawrence  involved  long  and  toilsome  portages,  and  the  labour — now 
of  dragging  the  flat-boats  along  the  shore,  and  now  of  stemming  the  fierce  current  in 
water  more  than  waist  deep,  Frontenac,  in  person,  spurred  on  his  men  to  their  task, 
sharing  their  privations,  losing  a  night's  sleep  from  anxiety,  lest  the  water  should  have  got 
in  and  spoiled  the  biscuit,  but  never  leaving  his  post  even  while, — amid  drenching 
rain, — the  crews  struggled  with  the  wild  rapids  of  the  Long  Sault.  When  the  last 
rapid  had  been  safely  passed,  the  flotilla  glided  in  among  the  placid  labyrinths  of 
the  Lake  of  the  Islands,  past  rugged  masses  of  lichened,  pine-crested  granite,  through 
glassy  inlets  mirroring  the  varied  green  of  birch  and  beech  and  maple,  edged  with 
soft  velvety  moss  and  waving  ferns,  fringed  with  reeds,  and  starred,  here  and  there, 
with  the  snowy  flowers  of  the  water-lily.  Beyond  this  enchanted  land  the  islands 
grew  fewer  and  larger,  and  now  the  blue  expanse  of  Ontario  loomed  wide  in  the 
distance. 

As  the  miniature  fleet  approached  the  point  where  the  Cataraqui  joins  the  St. 
Lawrence,  it  was  met  by  a  canoe  containing  some  Iroquois  chiefs,  magnificent  in 
feathers  and  wampum,  accompanied  by  the  Abbe  d'  Urfe.  In  the  language  of  the 
journal  of  the  expedition,  "they  saluted  the  Admiral,  and  paid  their  respects  to  him 
with  evidence  of  much  joy  and  confidence,  testifying  to  him  the  obligations  they  were 
under  to  him  for  sparing  them  the  trouble  of  going  farther,  and  of  receiving  their 
submission  at  the  River  Katarakoui,  which  is  a  very  suitable  place  to  camp,  as  they 
were  about  signifying  to  him."  Then  they  conducted  him  to  "one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  agreeable  harbours  in  the  world,  capable  of  holding  a  hundred  of  the  largest 
ships,  with  sufincient  water  at  the  mouth  and  in  the  harbour,  with  a  mud  bottom,  and 
so  sheltered  from  every  wind  that  a  cable  is  scarcely  necessary  for  mooring." 

The  expedition  landed  and  pitched  tents  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  THc 
du  Pont  Barracks,  commanding  the  outlet  of  the  Cataraqui  River,  and  protected  by 
the  high  banks  opposite  from  the  eastern  winds.  The  main  shore,  curving  out  south- 
westwardly,  sheltered  it  from  the  west  winds  that  sweep  so  strongly  down  the  lake. 
From  the  northward,  the  Cataraqui  wound  between  high  and  curving  banks,  begirt 
with  marshes,  inhabited    by  water-fowl,  beaver  and  muskrats,  while  to   south  and   west, 


13a 


PICTURESQ  UE  SPO  TS 


I" 

V 


\ 


hill,  heatlland,  ami  loiij;  woocknl  islaiuls  closed  in  the  nobk'  harbour,  the  iiiaiiitcst  site 
of  a  future  centre  of    trade  and  shippinj^. 

This  spot  had  het-n  marked  out  hy  the  liitendaiit,  M.  dc  Talon,  diirinj^  tht: 
regime  of  M.  de  Courcelles,  for  "  a  fur  dep6t  with  defences,"  to  protect  the  },neat 
trade,  and  check  the  forniidahlc  lro(|uois.  M.  de  CvKircelles  had  himself  undertaken 
an  exploring  journey  to  Catara<|ui  in  a  canoe,  and  his  list  official  act  was  to  call  a 
convention  of  the  Indians  to  secure  their  assent  to  the  erection  ol  the  proposed  fort. 
F'rontenac,  probably  prompted  by  l>a  Salle,  was  not  less  alive  to  the  importance  of  an 
outpost  at  the  entrance  of  Lake  Ontario,  which  should  check  the  Inxpiois  raids,  and 
intercept  the  flow  of  the  fur  traffic  towards  the  Dutch  and  English  settlers  of  New 
York. 

At  daybreak,  Jul)-  1  v  '(^/j.  ^it  '"-'iit  <>f  drum,  the  ['"rench  force,  some  four  hundred 
strong, — including  Indians,  — was  ilrawn  up  under  arms,  and  the  lro(|uois  (kjputies  ad- 
vanced, between  a  double  line  of  men,  to  the  tent  of  the  liovernor,  who  stood,  in  full 
official  state,  surrounded  by  his  officers.  After  the  usual  formula  of  smoking  the  pipe 
of  j)eace  in  silence,  the  council  was  opened  by  a  friendly  chief  named  Garakontie, 
with  the  usual  expressions  of  respect  for  the  (ireat  Ononthio.  I'Vontenac  replied  in 
his  grand  paternal  style,  expressing  his  pleasure  at  meeting  his  Indian  "children,"  and 
the  pacific  spirit  which  animated  him  ;  ami,  with  gifts  of  tobacco  ami  guns  for  the 
men,  and   prunes  and   raisins  for  tlu'  women  ami   children,   the  pow-wow  broke  up. 

Meantime,  the  site  of  the  fort  was  marked  out, — trees  were  cut  down,  trenches 
dug,  and  palisades  hewn,  with  such  energy  and  industry  that, — four  ilays  later, — suffi- 
cient progress  had  been  made  to  admit  of  calling  a  grand  council  of  the  Indians,  at 
which  hrontenac,  after  a  judicious  preface  of  exhortation  and  veiled  threats,  announced 
his  intentions, — as  a  proof  of  his  affection, — of  building  a  storehouse,  where  they  could 
be  supplied  with  goods,  without  the  inconvenience  of  a  long  and  dangerous  journey. 
His  address  seemed  to  give  general  satisfaction,  and,  a  few  days  after,  the  assembled 
Iroquois  departed  to  their  homes.  The  expedition  also  was  sent  back  in  detachments  ; 
Frontenac  with  his  guard  outstaying  the  rest,  in  ortier  tf)  receive  a  deputation  from 
the  villages  to  the  north  of  Lake  Ontario.  In  reporting  to  the  minister,  Colbert,  the 
successful  accomplishment  of  his  object,  he  intimated  that  while  this  fort  at  Cataraqui, 
with  a  vessel  then  in  progress,  would  give  the  French  control  of  Ontario,  a  second 
fort  at  the  mouth  of  the   Niagara  would  command   the  whole  chain  of   the  upper  lakes. 

This,  indeed,  formed  part  of  the  comprehensive  scheme  of  tht;  man  to  whom  the 
command  of  Fort  I'Vontenac  was  assigned, — Robert  Cavalier  de  la  Salle.  The  son  of 
a  wealthy  burgher  family  of  Rouen,  De  la  Salle  had  come  to  Canada  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  Brave,  enterprising  and  enthusiastic,  endowed  with  indomitable  firmness 
and  inexhaustible  perseverance,  his  naturally  strong  constitution,  hardened  almost  to 
iron    by  a    ten    years'  course    of   discipline    among    the    Jesuits,    and    with    an    imagina- 


OF    TlUi   NOR  I'll 


m 


leiits  ; 
from 
t,  tin; 
i';u|iii, 
.:c:<)iul 
akes. 
tlu- 
n  of 
:c  of 
mess 
t  to 
tri  na- 


tion liiid  1)\  till'  ilrcaiii  of  dis- 
covery, lie  was  <;a,L;(r  to  distinj^iiisli 
himself     1)\     takiiii^     possession,     in 

tile  nainr  of  ll-.mce,  ol  the  1111- 
exiilorcd  lerrilories  In  the  south 
III  liic  lireat  Lakes,  His  early 
ream  was  of  a  north-west  passai^c 
to  China  !))•  ihi'  waters  of  the 
Ottawa.  Hilt  his  mind,  tired  by 
Joliet's  report  of  the  Mississipni, 
was    now    coiiccMitraled    on    a    more 


practicable  scheme.  Fort  Frontenac  was  to 
be  but  a  step  towards  industrial  colonies  in 
the  rich  south-western  wilderness,  and  a  com- 
mercial route  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  .\  special  journey  to  I'rance,  in 
1674,  secured  to  him  a  tyrant  of  the  fort,  a 
large  tract  of  surroundini:^  territory  ami  the 
islands  adjacent,  alony  with  his  patent  of  un- 
titled  nobility.       Within  two    years    he    had    re- 


iiii 


■^5f5g  vvjiivM  _  m 


•34 


PlCTURHSQUli  SPOTS 


■ 


% 


1| 


I'lr-'i 


placed  the  original  wooden  fort  by  a  nuicli  laryjer  one,  "enclosed  on  tlu-  landward 
side  by  ramparts  and  basrions  of  stone,  and,  on  the  water-side,  by  palisades.  It 
contained  a  ranj^je  of  barracks  of  scjiiared  timber,  a  jfiiard-house,  a  lodging  for 
officers,  a  forge,  a  well,  a  mill  and  a  bakery."  The  wails  were  armed  with  nine 
small  guns,  and  the  garrison  consisted  of  a  dozen  !,oldiers,  two  officers  and  a  surgeon, 
while  an  additional  contingent  of  some  fifty  labourers,  artisans  and  voyageurSy  added 
to  its  strength.  In  the  shadow  of  the  fort,  where  now  stands  the  oldest  portion  of 
the  city  of  Kingston,  a  small  I'Vench  village  of  colonists  grew  up.  A  little  farther  on 
was  a  cluster  of  Iroquois  wigwams,  and  near  them  the  Chapel  and  Presbytery  of  the 
kecollet   Friars,   Louis   Hennepin,  the  well-known  explorer,  and   Luie   Huisset. 

Here  La  Salle  reigned  supreme  over  his  little  kingdom,  anil  here  he  might  have 
remained,  amassing  a  colossal  fortune,  and,  perhaps,  making  l-ort  I'rontenac  as  im- 
portant a  settlement  as  Montreal.  Hut  his  ambition  still  pointed  westward  and  south- 
ward, and,  despite  the  persistent  opposition  of  Jesuits  and  Canadian  merchants,  he 
secured,  on  a  second  visit  to  France,  permission  to  undertake  the  exploration  of  the 
country  with  a  view  to  a  route  to  Mexico,  and  to  build  as  many  forts  as  he  required, 
provided  they  were  built  within  five  years.  His  cherished  design  was  eventually  to 
build  a  vessel  at  some  point  on  the  Mississippi,  with  which  he  might  follow  it  to 
its  mouth,  thus  opening  a  new  commercial  route  to  the  Gi  If  of  Mexico.  How,  in 
pursuit  of  this  ignis  fatuus,  he  built  his  brigantine  at  F"ort  Frontenac,  in  which  he 
sailed  to  Niagara  to  erect  his  fort  or  "palisaded  storehouse,"  and  build  and  launch 
the  ill-fated  Griffin, — lost  with  her  first  cargo  of  furs  in  the  stormy  waves  of  Lake 
Erie, — how,  after  reaching  at  last  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  taking  possession  of 
Louisiana,  he  fell  in  the  wilds  of  Texas,  by  the  bullet  of  a  false  follower,  is  known 
to  all  who  have  read  the  history  of    New  France. 

Under  M.  de  Denonville,  Fort  Frontenac  was  the  scene  of  an  act  of  treachery 
that  stamps  his  name  with  an  indelible  brand  of  infamy.  By  the  influence  of  two 
devoted  missionaries  to  the  Oneidas  and  Onondagas,  he  inveigled  a  number  of  their 
chiefs  into  the  fort,  under  the  pretext  of  a  pacific  conference ;  and,  as  soon  as  they 
were  within  the  precincts,  had  them  put  in  irons  and  carried  in  chains  to  Quebec, 
thence  to  be  transported  to  France,  to  wear  out  their  lives  in  the  dismal  confine- 
ment of  the  galleys.  Strange  to  say,  the  outrage  was  not  avenged  on  the  missionaries. 
The  elders  of  the  tribe  sent  them  away  with  a  safe  convoy,  lest  the  younger  members 
of  the  tribe  might  be  less  forbearing,  "and  we,  aged  and  feeble  as  we  are,  shall 
not    be    able    to    snatch    thee    from    their   vengeful    grasp." 

A  terrible  retribution  followed  ere  long,  in  which  the  innocent  suffered  with  the 
guilty.  The  Iroquois  swept  the  country  around  Cataraqui,  burning  the  cabins  and 
destroying  the  crops  of  the  settlers,  covering  the  lakes  with  their  canoes,  and  block- 
ading  the   garrison.       The  hostilities    culminated    in    the  midnight   massacre    of    Lachine 


;i3 


ltl_ 


OF  THE  NORTH 


135 


and  the  capture  of  I-'ort  I'Vonteiiac,  whir'  ,  like  I'Ort  Niaj^ara.  was  demolished  l)y  the 
Indians.  De  Fronteiiac,  recalled  to  supersede  the  weak  and  treacherous  !)e  Denonville, 
found  the  colony  laid  waste,  its  villaj^^es  heaps  of  sinokinjj  ruins,  and  his  favourite 
fort  in  ashes,  while  an  ominous  war-  loud  was  risinjr  between  New  Mn^land  and 
N(!W  France.  Another  expedition  under  his  command  was  soon  marshalled  at  Catara- 
qui,  embracinjj,  besid(!s  Indians  and  Colonial  troops,  a  numluT  of  staunch  veterans  who 
had  followed  the  standards  of  Conde  and  Turenne.  Frontenac,  disrejfardinj,^  the 
opposition  of  iiis  Intendant,  M.  ih;  Champij^Miy,  undertook  and  com])l(:ted  the  recon- 
struction of  the  fort  before  contrary  orders  could  arrive  from  I' ranee.  It  cost  about 
;^6oo, — a  larjje  sum  for  those  days, — and  is  said,  in  an  old  record,  to  have  "  consisted 
of  four  scjuare  curtains,  100  feet  each,  defended  by  four  scpiart;  bastions,  but  without 
either  ditches  or  palisades."  A  wooden  gallery  was  built  rountl  it,  leading  from  one 
bastion  to  another, — the  platforms  of  these  bastion  being  mounted  on  wooden  piles, 
and    the    curtains    pierced    by    loopholes. 

During  the  trancpiil  half  century  which  followei  ontenac's  death,  we  almost  lose 

sight  of  the  fort  and  settlement  at  Cataracpii.  Father  Picquet's  complaint,  in  1758, 
of  the  quality  of  the  provisions  he  got  there,  shows  how  far  the  settlers  lagged 
behind  in  agriculture  Hut  the  contlict  was  impending  which  was  to  wrest  from 
France  her  possessions  in  the  New  World,  and  Fort  Frontenac  soon  felt  the  shock. 
It  had  been  repaired  and  strengthened  to  meet  the  storm.  Hut  Abercrombie  seized 
the  opportunity  when  its  garrison  was  drawn  off  to  protect  another  point,  and  sent 
Colonel  Hradstreet  to  take  it,  with  3,000  men  and  eleven  guns.  He  landed  near 
Cataraqui,  on  the  25th  of  August,  1758,  and  cpiickly  erecting  a  battery  on  the  site  o{ 
the  present  market-place,  besieged  the  little  garrison  of  seventy  men,  commanded  by 
the  aged  and  chivalrous  M.  de  Noyau.  The  garrison  held  out  as  long  as  possible, 
but,  ere  the  coming  reinforcements  could  arrive,  M.  de  Noyau  was  forced  to  capitu- 
late, stipulating,  however,  for  the  safety  and  transport  of  his  troops,  and  of  the 
"  sacred  vessels  of  the  chappel "  to  Montreal.  Hesides  the  fort,  Colonel  Hradstreet's 
prize?  included  the  entire  French  nav\  in  Canada,  including  two  twenty-gun  ships, 
with  supplies  for  other  outposts,   80  pieces  of   cannon,   and  a   quantity  of    smaller    arms. 

Traces  of  the  old  fort,  and  also  of  the  breastwork  thrown  up  by  Colonel  Brad- 
street,  were  visible  many  years  after  the  Conquest.  The  remains  of  the  inner  tower 
were  not  removed  till  1827,  and  vestiges  of  the  fort  were  still  visible  when  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railway  line  was  opened  into  the  city.  A  few  F"rench  and  Indian  families 
clung  to  the  site  ;  but  the  place  was  scarcely  heard  of  again  until  its  permanent 
settlement  by  the  U.  E.  Loyalists  at  the  close  of  the  American  War  of  Independence. 
A  party  of  these  loyalist  refugees,  undecided  where  to  go  when  driven  from  their 
old  homes,  were  guided  b)-  a  leader  who  had  formerly  been  a  prisoner  in  Fort 
Frontenac,    and  who  considered  it  an    eligible  site    for    settlement.       Coming  from   New 


If  il 


i  i: 


I;! 


Vi 


136 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


^'()rk  by  tht;  circuitous  route  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  men  of  the  party,  only,  at  first 
penetrated  to  the  banks  of  the  Cataraqui,  where  no  habitation  was  to  be  seen  save 
"  the  bark-thatched  wigwam  of  the  savage,  or  the  newly-erected  tent  of  the  liardy 
loyalist."  They  returned  for  the  winter  to  Sorel,  where  they  had  left  their  families, 
and,  when  spring  had  once  more  set  free  the  blue  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  they 
made  their  way  up  the  river  in  bateaux,  look  up  their  grants  of  land,  and,  in  their 
loyal  z;;a],  changed  the  name  of  the  place  from  Cataraqui  to  Kingstown.  Their 
leader.  Captain  Grass,  observes  in  a  tone  worthy  of  the  men  of  the  Mayflower :  "  i 
pointed  out  to  them  the  site  of  their  future  metropolis,  and  gained  for  persecuted 
principles  a  sanctuary,  for  myself  a  home."  0::her  settlers  ere  long  followed,  bearing 
names  still  well-known  in  Kingston,  ami  founding  families,  imbued  with  strong  Tory 
predilections,  communicating  to  the  place  a  conservative  character,  which  it  long 
retained. 

For  years,  life  at  the  new  settlement  was  primitive  enough.  For  lack  of  a  mill, 
the  settlers  had  to  grind  their  corn  with  an  ax<;  on  a  ilat  stone,  or  with  pestle  and 
mortar.  The  clums\-  axes  and  unpractised  hand  of  the  military  settlers  made  but  slow 
progress  in  clearing  the  land.  Their  farms,  too,  were  often  sacrificed  to  their  necessi- 
ties,  sold  sometimes  for  a  horse  or  a  cow,   or  cxen   half    a  barrel   of   .salmon. 

The  first  beef,  accidentally  killed  by  a  falling  tree,  was  long  remembered  by  those 
who  had  the  urivilege  of  sharing  it.  In  1788,  "the  famine  year,"  the  dearth  was  so 
great  that  starving  families  Hocked  in  from  the  surrounding  country  where  roots  and 
leaves  were  eaten   l)y  the   i)eople. 

Gradually,  Kingston  became  a  place  of  some  consequence.  The  original  log-cabins 
gave  place  to  houses  of  limestone,  of  which  there  was  abundance  to  be  had  for  the 
quarrying.  A  grist-mill,  built  by  the  Government  in  1782,  a.'  't  six  miles  up  the  Catara- 
qui, and  worked  by  a  pretty  cascade  tumbling  out  of  a  picturescjue  gorge,  added  to  the 
importance  of  the  town.  As  the  settlers  grew  a  little  richer,  ami  able  to  replace  their 
home-made  clothing  by  imported  fabrics,  and  th('  exports  of  llour  and  pork  increased, 
new  shops  were  started,  and  the  principal  thoroughfare — -now  called  Princess  Street — 
received  the  name  of  .Store  Street.  The  place  resumed  much  of  its  old  consequence 
when  it  became  a  military  and  naval  station  ni-.der  the  British  (lag.  This  honour  was 
at  first  conferred  on  Carleton  Islantl,  near  the  opposite  shore,  where  the  ruins  of 
extensive  fortifications  excite  the  wonder  of  picnic  parties  to  this  day ;  but  when  the 
island  was  discovered  to  be  within  the  American  lin(;s,  Kingston  was  chosen,  and  it 
retained  the  distinction,   until   the   final  withdrawal   of    the   British   troops  from    Canada. 

"The  War  of  1812"  brought  Kingston  to  the  front,  as  xXw.  chief  Canadian  strong- 
hold (Ml  Lake  Ontario,  and  the  rival  to  the  American  arsenal  at  Sackett's  Harbour. 
The  Government  dockyard  occupied  the  low-lying  peninsula  opposite  the  town,  which 
is  now   graced    by  the    fine    Norman    structure  of   the    Royal    Military  College    and    its 


il 


\i 


OF   THE  NORTH 


137 


dependent  buildings.  Tlir  dark  yrccii  reach 
of"  deep  water  between  tlie  colley;('  and  liie 
glacis  of  l'"ort  Henry  was  the  naval  moor- 
ing ground.  Where,  in  our  days  of  pi]3ing 
peace,  nothing  more  threatening  than  the 
skififs  of  cadets  training  to  be  future  llan- 
lans  are  seen,  lay  formidable  battle-ships. 
One    of     them,— the     St.     Lawrence, — built 

here  in  1814,  cost  the  British  Government  half  a  milli<in  sterling.  In  all  proba- 
bility, the  wood  was  sent  out  from  luigland !  During  this  same  war.  Fort  Henry — 
the  modern  successor  of  old  Fort  Frontenac — was  commenced,  at  first  as  a  rude  fort  <>f 
logs   with    an    embankment.      The  woods,  which  clotiied   the  long    sK  ,)ing    hill    and    the 


A     M  H  iK. 


138 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


\ 


i.'ii 


I 


"A 


-1 


adjacent  country,  were  cut  down  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  surprises,  and  a 
ciiain  of  those  essentially  Colonial  defences,  known  as  block-houses,  connected  by  a 
picket  stockade,  defended  the  city.  One  ancient  specimen  of  the  little  wooden  forts 
still  remains.  Subsequently,  the  block-houses  gave  place  to  a  cincture  of  massive  Mar- 
tello  towers  and  stone  batteiies,  which  present  an  imposing  appearance  on  approaching 
Kingston  from  the  water,  though  to  modern  warfare  they  are  no  more  foimidable 
than  the  old  defences  of  logs.  Twenty  years  after  the  war,  the  present  Fort 
Henry  was  also  built,  a  most  important  fortification  in  those  days,  with  its  heavy  guns 
and  mortars,  its  advanced  battery  and  its  casemated  barracks,  providing  accommodation 
for  a  large  garrison.  The  embrasures  of  the  fort  look  askance  at  the  foundries  and 
enginery  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbour.  The  cannon  confronts  the  locomotive  ; 
and,  fit  emblem  of  our  time,  a  solitary  warder  guards  the  decaying  fort,  while  in  the 
locomotive  shops,  between  four  and  five  hundred  skilled  workmen  are  employed.  Still, 
Kingston  retains  a  military  look,  not  unpleasing  to  the  tourist's  eye.  There  is  the  fort 
crowning  the  glacis.  Full  in  front,  a  round  tower  covers  the  landing.  At  its  base,  a 
semi-circular  bastion  pierced  for  artillery  is  ready  to  sweep  the  water.  The  tower,  with 
its  conical  red  cap  and  circling  wall  of  compact  ball-proof  masonry,  looks  well.  It 
would  have  scared  the  Iroquois.  It  could  have  defied  the  raiders  of  1812.  Against 
modern  artillery,  it  is  as  good  as  an  arquebuse.  Hard  by  is  the  military  college,  with 
its  fifty  or  sixty  red-coated,  white-helmeted  cadets.  Where  the  olive-green  of  Cataraqui 
Creek  blends  with  the  blue  of  the  bay,  still  stands  the  old  naval  barracks,  where  Tom 
Bcwling  and  Ned  Bunting  were  wont  to  toast  "sweethearts  and  wives."  A  little  up 
the  creek  is  Barriefield  Common,  once  gay  with  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious 
war,  but  now  sel  'om  marched  over  by  anything  more  militant  than  the  villagers'  geese. 
From  the  Common,  a  causeway,  nearly  half  a  mile  long,  extends  across  the  creek  to 
the  THc  du  Pont  Barracks,  the  headquarters  alternately  of  the  very  efiicient  A  and  B 
Batteries.  Thanks  to  the  gentlemen  cadets  and  the  battery  men,  the  streets  of  Kings- 
ton still  have  a  sprinkling  of  red,  white  and  blue.  The  Royal  Military  College  is  the 
West  Point  of  Canada.  To  train  young  men  for  a  profession  that  can  hardly  be  said 
to  exist  or  to  have  any  ground  for  existing  in  the  New  World,  to  educate  oHicers 
before  any  one  thinks  of  enlisting  soldiers — save  on  a  scale  suited  to  the  ancient 
grand-duchy  of  Pumpernickel — is  perhaps  to  put  the  cart  before  the  horse.  What  is 
still  more  anomalous,  the  Government  seems  to  have  no  policy  on  the  subject,  for  it 
takes  no  pains  to  utilize  the  services  of  the  graduates  of  the  institution  it  has  estab- 
lished. Still,  if  we  must  spend  three-quarters  of  a  million  annually  on  a  militia 
department,  it  is  well  that  some  of  the  money  should  be  spent  on  education.  The 
greater  the  number  of  scientificallv  tr-~.ined  men  a  new  country  has  the  better.  The 
cadets  get  a  capital  training,  for  the  college  is  admirably  officered. 

Kingston    has    long    had    a    just    pre-eminence    as    an    educational  centre.     The  first 


IIJ 


OF  THE  NORTH 


139 


Grammar  School  in  Canada  was  established  here  in  1786,  under  Dr.  Stuart, — the  first 
teacher  as  well  as  the  first  clergyman  in  Upper  Canada  ;  and  the  schools  of  Kingston 
are  noticed  by  Rochefoucauld  on  his  visit  in  1805.  There  were  elementary  schools, 
on  the  Lancasterian  principle,  for  the  poorer  classes,  long  before  our  Common  School 
system  was  organized.  In  higher  education  it  has  an  honourable  record.  The  University 
of  Queen's  College,  whose  new  local  habitation  is  one  of  the  architectural  adornments  of 
the  city,  was  founded  in  1840  by  a  number  of  clergymen  and  laymen  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland  in  Canada.  "  Queen's,"  as  it  is  affectionately  termed  by  its  sons,  has  grown 
with  the  growth  of  Canada, — has  a  noble  record  of  work  done  in  the  past, — and,  in  its 
new  halls  and  the  throng  of  eager  students  who  fill  them,  and  its  largely  increased 
and  distinguished  staff, — it  rejoices  in  greater  usefulness  in  the  present,  and  has  still 
brighter  hopes   for  the  future. 

Kingston  is  the  seat  not  only  of  the  Royal  Military  College,  and  of  Queen's 
University,  with  its  Faculties  of  Arts,  Science,  Law,  and  Divinity,  but  also  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  College  of  Regiopolis,  which  has  been  closed  since  the  withdrawal 
of  the  government  grant  in  1869.  Two  other  ey.cellent  institutions,  the  Royal  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  the  Women's  Medical  College,  are  affiliated  to  Queen's 
University.  Tiie  Collegiate  Institute  represents  two  older  High  Schools;  and  among 
the  school-boys  educated  in  them,  Kingston  boasts  the  premiers  of  the  Province  and 
the  Dominion. 

When  Upper  Canada  became  a  separate  province,  Kingston  might  be  said  to  have 
been  the  first  capital,  for  it  was  here, — in  an  old  wooden  church  fronting  the  market- 
place,— that  Governor  Simcoe  was  sworn  into  office,  his  first  cabinet  chosen,  and  the 
writs  issued  to  convene  the  Legislative  Assembly  which  met  at  Niagara,  previous  to 
meeting  more  permanently  at  York.  The  city  also  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  seat 
of  Government  of  the  United  Provinces  of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada,  from  the  union 
in  1840  until  1844,  the  Legislature  meeting  in  the  edifice  opposite  the  new  buildings  of 
Queen's  College,  which  is  now,  perhaps,  more  usefully  occupied  as  the  City  Hospital. 
The  impetus  received  from  the  residence  of  the  government  officials  was  followed 
by  a  corresponding  depression  on  their  removal.  Nor  was  the  prosperity  of  the  place 
increased  by  the  building  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway.  It  has  been  benefited  much 
more  by  the  Kingston  and  Pembroke  Railway,  a  new  line  that  opens  up  a  region 
formerly  inaccessible,  of  much  natural  beauty  and  great  natural  riches,  though  at  first 
sight  it  looked  unpromising  enough.  To  this  wild  and  rocky  district  the  well  culti- 
vated townships  on  the  Bay  of  Quinte  offer  a  striking  contrast,  not  often  seen  within 
the  limits  of  one  county,  even  in  Canada.  It  is  studded  with  picturesque  little  lakes, 
one  of  which,  SharI)ot  Lake,  is  already  a  favourite  resort  on  account  of  its  scenery 
and  its  resources  as  a  fishing  ground.  Rocky  tracts  and  ridges,  that  at  first  were  con- 
sidered   worthless,  contain   lead,  j 'losphates,  and   immense   deposits  of    iron.       When  all 


I40 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


II 


i'8i 


this  country  in  the  rear  is  fully  developed,  Kingston,  the  natural  port  of  transhipment 
for  everything  that  comes  by  rail,  or  by  the  winding  way  of  the  Rideau  Canal,  will 
attain  a  greater  degree  of   importance  than  it  has  yet  dreamed  of. 

Just  above  the  long  bridge  which  spans  the  embouchure  of  the  Cataraqui,  there 
stretches  a  reach  of  placid  river,  between  green,  sloping,  and  often  wooded  banks, 
a  rank  growth  of  reeds  and  rushes  in  many  places  nearly  filling  up  the  stream.  Here, 
a  boat  may  wind  its  way  for  miles  in  an  absolute  solitude, — only  a  wild  duck  or  a 
heron  breaking  the  stillness  of  the  scene.  Following  this  quiet  river  for  six  miles  from 
its  junction  with  the  St.  Lawrence,  we  reach  a  bold,  rocky  gorge,  framing  a  foaming 
cascade,  which,  even  yet,  is  a  pretty  waterfall,  though  hemmed  in  by  artificial  surround- 
ings, and  made  to  look  like  a  sort  of  appendage  to  a  mill.  The  abrupt  rocky  banks 
are  the  most  romantic  feature  of  the  scene,  rising  almost  sheer  above  the  river, 
clad  with  a  tangle  of  foliage  and  creepers.  Just  below  are  the  gates  of  the  Rideau 
Canal  which  begins  here,  and  is  carried  by  five  locks  up  an  ascent  of  forty-five  feet. 
Suspended  above  the  gorge  is  the  iron  line  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  bridge,  two 
of  the  greatest  public  works  of  Canada  being  thus  represented  at  this  point.  Walking 
across  the  bridge,  we  get  from  its  giddy  height  a  pretty  bird's-eye  view  of  the  \>inding 
Cataraqui,  with  Kingston  in  the  distance,  beyond  marshy  flats,  whose  yellow  tint  in 
autumn  contrasts   richly  with  the  soft   blue  of    sky  and   river. 

There  is  nowhere  to  be  enjoyed  a  more  delightful  day's  sail  than  that  from 
Kingston  down  the  river.  ihe  traveller  starts  in  the  early  dawn  of  a  summer  morn- 
ing, as  the  sun  rises  golden  over  the  line  of  high  land  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the 
harbour,— the  wide  lake  stretching  calm  and  glassy  in  the  blue  distance  to  the 
west.  The  opposite  islands  stand  out  clear  in  their  relative  positions.  Garden  Island, 
with  its  cluster  of  shipping  in  front,  behind  it  Simcoe  Island  to  the  west,  with  the 
Bateau  Channel  between  it  and  Wolfe  Island,  whose  green  fields  and  clumps  of  shady 
trees  and  scattered  farm-houses  extend  down  the  river  for  twenty  miles.  Kingston  rises 
on  its  gentle  slope,  the  cool  grey  buildings  and  slender  spires  catching  the  warm  glow 
of  the  level  sunbeams.  Far  to  the  right,  beyond  the  long  bridge,  the  winding  Cataraqui 
shows  a  misty  blue  between  the  high  green  banks  that  end  in  the  gorge  at  Kingston 
Mills.  The  city  buildings,  the  Court  House,  and  the  tower  of  Queen's  Univer- 
sity, catch  the  eye  as  it  travels  back  along  the  fringe  of  shipping  towards  a  point, 
flanked  by  a  Martello  tower,  at  the  extreme  left,  while,  farther  back,  the  outlines  of 
the  Asylums  can  be  traced  in  the  distance.  Opposite  to  the  city  rises  the  slope  of 
Barriefield,  wiih  its  grey  church-tower,  and  the  undulating  "common"  rising  gradually 
into  the  Fort  Hill,  while  between  this  and  the  city,  runs  out  the  long  level  promontory, 
on  which — irradiated  by  the  early  sunshine — stand  the  old  and  new  buildings  of  the 
Military    College. 

Turning    the    point    made    by  the    Fort    Hill,    with    its  embankment  and  sally-ports. 


,"*! 


OF   THE  NORTH 


141 


^T^f'JM^ 


— '*  *  -■ 


'.  ^-X; 


BROCKVILLE. 

we  glide  swiftly  past 
Cedar  Island,  with  its 
Martello    tower,  and 
the    river    channel — some 
fourteen    miles    wide — is 
fairly  entered.     Cedar  Island 
first  shows   the  peculiar   con- 
tour   and    formation    of    "  The 
Thousand  Islands,"  grey  gneiss, 
encrusted     with     moss     am 


■''Aiiil^ 


\^^^^^ 


her 


iicnen, 
bearing  a  low,  luxuriant  vegetation 
of  birch  and  cedar  and  tangled 
shrubbery.     A  short  distance  above 

Gananoque,  the  island  mazes  begin,  y 

with    bold,  grey    rocks    tufted    with  iSft,, 

dark  pines,  or  little  bosky  clusters 
of  foliage  nestling  close  to  the  clear 
blue    waves.       On    a    calm    summer 

morning,  when  the  rich  and  varieil  colourings  of  granite  rocks,  with  overhanging  foliage 
of  every  shade  of  living  green,  are  reflected  in  the  glassy  river,  which  the  steamer's 
swell   raises — not  breaks — into  long  heavy  undulalans,   the  scene  is  like  fairy-land. 

The  first    mention    of    these    islands    is    made    in    the    report    of    the    e.xpedition    iiy 


THE     lUVER-SmE,     BROCKVILLK. 


142 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


M.  de  Courcelles  against  the  Mohawk  Indians  in  1665-6,  where  they  are  spoken  of 
with  anything  but  admiration.  We  are  told  that  they  "  have  nothing  agreeable  beyond 
their  multitude,"  and  that  they  "are  only  huge  rocks  rising  out  of  the  water,  covered 
merely  by  moss,  or  a  few  spruce  or  other  stunted  wood,  whose  roots  spring  from  the 
clefts  of  the  rocks,  whicli  can  supply  no  other  aliment  or  moisture  to  these  barren  trees 
than  what  the  rains  furnish  them,"  and  the  locality  is  farther  referred  to  as  "a  melan- 
choly abode."  I'Vom  these  hints  it  would  appear  that,  two  hundred  years  ago,  the 
comparatively  young  vegetation,  that  now  makes  the  chief  beauty  of  the  scenery,  may 
have  been  only  beginning  to  establish  itself,  and  that,  with  but  a  scanty  and  stunted 
foliage,  the  rocky  wilderness  presented  but  little  attraction.  From  the  French  explor- 
ers— it  is  said  from  Champlain — the  archipelago  took  its  name  of  "Lac  dcs  Mille  Isles" 
though  the  "thousand"  is  far  under  the  real  number.  Recent  travellers,  however, 
including  the  Duke  of  Argyll,  have  been  disappointed  in  the  comparative  tameness  and 
monotony  of  the  "Thousand  Islands"  as  cursorily  seen  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer. 
And,  indeed,  forty  miles  of  them  is  apt  to  produce  the  toujour s  perdrix  feeling  which 
attacks    the    traveller    even    on    the    Rhine,    after    a    long,   unbroken    course    of    ruined 

castles.     The  beauty  is  that  of  a 
wmmmm^tmmmmimmm^mm%        succession  of  charming  vignettes, 

rather  than  of  any  one  grand 
picture,  and  the  way  to  see  and 
feel  it  is  to  sojourn  among  them, 
watching  their  ever-changing  as- 
pects from  day  to  day.  You 
should  see  them  glorified  in  the 
exquisite  ethereal  tints  of  dawn 
before  they  "  fade  into  the  light 
of  common  day,"  and  watch  that, 
again,  deepen  into  the  rosy  sun- 
set glow,  which  often  makes  the 
placid  river  reflect  their  beauty  from  "  a  sea 
^"^-  of  glass  mingled  with  fire,"   ere  it   merges 

into    die    purple    gloaming    through    which    the 
fire-fly  darts  its   living    light,  and    the  plaintive 
refrain    of    the    whip-poor-will    adds    pathos    to 
OLD  i.iGUT-HousK,  I'REscoTT.  "'-  the    beauty    of    the    summer    eve.      Or,    when 

the  full  moon  rises  behind  one  of  the  dark 
islands,  throwing  its  mysterious  chiaroscuro  over  the  scene,  making  a  broad,  quivering 
pathway  of  fretted  silver,  on  which  the  islands  show  like  silhouettes, — their  wavy  out- 
lines of  foliage  marked  out  in  shadow  on  the  silver  sea  below.      Better,  still,  if  you  can 


OF   THE   NORTH 


143 


wander  day  after   day    among    the    hidden    rocks  and  recesses    of    the    island  labyrinths, 
exploring    the    myriad    beauty  of   lichened   granite,  and  moss,  and  vine,  and  Hower,  and 


\A 


LONG  SAULT  RAl'IDS,  KROM  THE  CANAL. 


berry,  as  well  as  of  the  foliage  that  clusters  in  rich  masses  of  verdure,  or  dips  into 
the  glassy  wave ;  or,  guiding  your  tiny  skiff  through  the  narrowest  of  channels,  or 
the  most  fairy-like  of  coves,  where  the  limpid  water  ripples  over  the  pure  white  sand, 
or  holds  in  its  shaded  and  shadowy  basin  a  cluster  of  deep-green  leaves  and  snowy 
water-lilies.  Then,  indeed,  their  gentle  beauty  grows  on  you,  and  in  the  coup 
dceil  from  any  elevated  point  the  eye  unconsciously  reads  into  the  distant  outlines 
the  picturesque  details  with  which  it  has  already  grown  familiar.  Nor  must  we 
forget  the  richer  beauty  which  the  mellowing  touch  of  autumn  throws  over  the 
scene,  when  it  turns  the  delicate  green  of  the  birch  to  gold,  and  clothes  the  maple  in 
flame  colour  and  scarlet  till  it  seems  like  the  burning  bush  of  Moses,  and  flushes  the 
oak  to  a  rich  russet  or  winey  red, — while  the  deep  blood-red  hue  of  the  low  sumach 
marks  some  of   the  smaller  islands  with  a  line  of   crimson. 

One  of  the  pieasantest  points  for  making  a  closer  acquaintance  with  the  islands, — 
on  the  Canadian  side, — is  the  thriving  village  of  Gananoque,  about  which  they  are 
picturesquely  grouped.  The  name  of  the  place  is,  of  course,  Indian,  signifying  "rocks 
in  deep  water."  A  small  river  of  the  same  name,  which  winds  through  the  back 
country,  finds  its  way  here  into  the  St.  Lawrence  between  high  abruptly-sloping  banks, 
and  descends  a  steep  ledge  in  what  was  once  a  spontaneous  waterfall,  but  now  is  put  into 
harness  and  made  to  serve  as  so  much  "water-power"  to  drive  numerous  factories. 
Some  twenty  miles  back,  near  the  source  of  the  Gananoque   River,  lies  a  prettily  wood- 


F 


144 


PICTURESQ  UH   S/'O  TS 


1^: 


•?., 


I 


OF   THE  NORTH 


145 


c/l 

a 
t 

£ 

U 

-i 

M 
S 
H 

O 

g 

2 
z 


ed  sheet  of    water  called  Charleston    Lake, — a  resort  of   sportsmen  tluriiig  tiie    shooting 
season. 

Perhaps  the  most  picturescpic  bit  of  the  island  labyrinth  lies  about  a  sudden  bend, 
tailed  Fidler's  Elbow, — where  the  channel  is  too  narrow  for  the  larger  steamboats,  but 
down  which  an  arrowy  little  excursion-boat  darts  and  winds, — passing  close  to  rich  masses 
of  foliage  mirrored  in  the  still  waters,  or  bold  ruddy  rocks  flecked  with  the  exquisite 
pale  greys  or  greens  of  encrusting  lichens,  or  still,  shadowy  bays,  kissed  by  overhanging 
birch  and  cedar-boughs,  or  bristling  weather-beaten  crags,  tufted  with  solemn  pines.  Or, 
suddenly,  we  come  upon  a  Chinese-looking  cluster  of  summer  villas,  with  pagodas,  bridges, 
and  the  other  well-known  features  of  the  willow-pattern  plate  ;  or  long  avenues  of  tents 
and  cottages  and  the  bus)- dock  of  a  bustling  summer  resort,  like  the  "Thousand  Island 
Park"  on  Wells'  Island;  or  the  large  gay  hotels  of  Alexandria  Bay,  where  one  may 
step  from  the  untouched  wilderness  of  Nature's  solitudes,  into  all  the  artificial  develop- 
ments of  American  fashionable  life.  The  "  Thousand  Island  Park"  is  a  unique  collection 
of  tents,  light-wooden  summer-houses,  and  a  handsome  Norman  hotel,  with  a  long 
street  of  boat-houses  extending  from  its  pier  along  the  water's  edge.  It  has  also  a 
large  "Tabernacle"  or  canvas  church, — its  original  plan  as  a  Camp  Ground  including 
a  series  of  religious  meetings.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  same  island,  about  eight  miles 
distant,  is  the  quieter  "  Westminster  Park,"  showing  a  tall  church-tower  above  the 
trees.  This  island  was  the  scene  of  the  inirning  of  the  .S"/>  Robert  Peel,  in  1838,  by  a 
band  of  American  outlaws,  headed  by  "  liill  Johnson,"  a  kind  of  political  Robin  Hood, 
who  had  conceived  the  idea  of  bestowing  on  Canada  the  boon  of  freedom  and  a 
Republican  Government.  The  story  of  his  daring  and  devoted  daughter  "  Kate,"  who 
rowed  him  from  hiding-place  to  hiding-place  among  the  islands,  and  kept  him  supplied 
with  food,  give  a  touch  of  the  charm  of  legend  and  adventure  to  these  rocky  mazes. 
Cooper  has  chosen  them  as  one  of  the  scenes  of  his  novel,  "The  Pathfinder";  and 
Moore   has  also  touched  them   with  his  silver-tongued   muse. 

Below  Well's  Island,  away  to  eastward,  the  St.  Lawrence  opens  in  a  wider 
vista,  with  here  and  there  a  distant  island  softly  outlined  against  the  soft  turquoise 
blue.  Down  this  widening  channel  the  large  river  steamers  glide  on,  still  amid  granite 
isles  on  either  hand,  till  at  last  the  long  succession  ends,  and  we  steam  up  close  to 
the  line  of  pretty  villas  that  skirt  the  town  of  Brockville.  Here  the  river  fairly  parts 
company  with  the  rocky  isles  amid  which  it  has  been  dreaming,  and  becomes  for  a 
time  a  comparatively  straightforward  and  prosaic  stream,  with  nothing  very  striking 
about   it  or  its  slightly  rising  shores. 

About  a  mile  below  the  *^own  of  Prescott,  chiefly  notable  as  the  terminus  of  the 
Prescott  and  Ottawa  Railway,  we  pass  a  point  of  land  on  which  stands  a  white-washed 
stone  tower,  pierced  by  narrow  loop-holes,  and  now  used  as  a  light-house.  This  is  the 
historic    "Windmill"    which,     in     November,    1837,     figured    as    the    stronghold     of    the 


146 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


"  Patriots,"  under  the  command  of  a  Polish  adventurer,  called  Von  Schultz.  They  held 
the  mill  for  several  days  against  the  British  forces,  under  Col.  Dundas,  but  were  at 
last  routed  and  compelled  to  surrender  at  discretion.  During  the  action  the  opposite 
shore  was  lined  with  spectators,  who  cheered  whenever  the  insurgents  appeared  to 
have  the  advantage.  Poor  Von  Schultz,  with  nine  others  of  the  hundred  and  ten 
prisoners,  was  hanged  at  Fort  Henry  after  a  court-martial, — a  victim  to  the  political 
treachery  of  those  who  had  led  him  to  undertake  the  mad  enterprise  and  then  aban- 
doned him  to  his  fate.  In  our  days  he  would  have  met  with  no  harder  measure  than 
that  meted    to  Arabi   Pasha. 

A  few  islands  in  midstream,  some  of  them  prettily  wooded,  are  all  that  vary 
the  blue  stretch  of  river  until  the  quickening  current  of  the  Galoups  Rapids  breaks 
the  dreamy  calmness  of  the  stream, — a  pleasant  foretaste  of  the  larger  rapids  to 
come.  A  canal  runs  along  the  shore  for  the  accommodation  of  small  boats.  At  its 
eastern  extremity  lies  the  prosperous  village  of  Cardinal,  formerly  Edwardsburg, — 
notable  for  its  conspicuous  starch  factory.  Near  this  place  the  river  quickly  narrows, 
till  at  one  point  it  is  only  five  hundred  feet  wide. 

We  are  now  passing,  to  the  left,  the  old  county  of  Dundas,  associated,  like  King- 
ston, with  the  first  settlement  of  the  country  by  the  staunch  U.  E.  Loyalists,  as  well 
as  with  some  of  the  most  stirring  of  Canadian  warlike  associations.  Our  experiences 
are  of  a  far  more  pacific  character, — memories  of  bowery  orchards  laden  with  blushing 
blossoms,  of  quiet,  sequestered  farm-houses,  of  green  fields,  with  lambs  and  calves  at 
play.  Just  as  we  come  in  sight  of  Morrisburg,  with  its  many  slender  spires  rising 
above  the  embosoming  woods,  the  river,  sweeping  round  a  curve,  discloses  beautiful 
wooded  islands  marked  with  white  birchen  stems,  around  which  the  crested  waves  of 
the  Rapid  Du  Plat  are  seen,  swirling  in  deep-green  eddies  beneath  the  luxuriant 
foliage  that  overhangs  the  stream.  Some  two  or  three  miles  below  the  village, 
close  by  a  house  that  stands  embossed  in  foliage,  is  a  curving  point,  and  near 
it  a  low,  irregular  ravine.  This,  with  the  adjoining  ground,  is  the  scene  of  the 
decisive  action  of  Chrysler's  Farm,  gallantly  contested  on  November  11,  1813,  between 
American  troops  and  a  small  body  of  British  regulars,  reinforced  by  Canadian  volun- 
teers and  militia  and  a  handful  of  Indians.  Many  of  the  dead  were  buried  in  common 
graves,  where  now  green    orchard-boughs   bend  over  dappled    stretches  of    emerald  turf. 

Passing  a  number  of  little  scattered  villages,  a  picturesque  point,  called  Woodlands, 
catches  the  eye.  Ere  long,  the  increasing  rapidity  of  the  current  and  the  bolder 
shore,  give  token  that  we  are  nearing  the  grand  rapid  of  the  Long  Sault.  Anon  we 
see  the  white  coursers  in  the  distance,  tossing  aloft  their  snowy  manes,  and  feel  the 
strong  grip  of  the  current.  A  densely-wooded  island  divides  the  foaming  waters.  We 
rush  at  headlong  speed  down  the  south  channel, — the  other,  called  the  "lost  channel," 
seeming  to  toss  its  waves  in    defiance    of   the    bold    hand   which    might    try    to    guide    a 


OF   THE  NORTH 


147 


;  King- 
as  well 
;riences 
lushing 
Ives    at 
rising 
autiful 
ives    of 
xuriant 
village, 
near 
of    the 
etween 
volun- 
mmon 
d  turf. 
Hands, 
bolder 
on    we 
el    the 
We 
innel," 
lide   a 


boat  down  the  raging  waters.  Those  over  which  we  safely  ride  are  grand  enough. 
Great  crystal  masses  of  emerald  water  leap  to  meet  us,  catch  us  on  their  breasts,  and 
carry  us  on  with  a  swift  undulatory  motion  like  that  of  a  race-horse,  while  a  shower 
of  foamy  spray  dashes  over  the  vessel.  The  green-crested  waves  seem  to  be  rushing 
in  the  opposite  direction  to  the  current,  an  effect  caused  by  the  retreating  eddies  it 
creates  in  dashing  over  the  hidden  rock  below.  But  our  great  sea-horses  carry  us  on, 
till,  all  too  soon,  the  foaming  crests  are  left  behind,  and  we  glide  into  smooth  water 
and  past  the  steep  sides  of  the  island  of  St.  Regis,  inhabited  by  a  little  colony  of 
Indians,  who  look  very  prosaic  in  their  ordinary   civilized    attire. 

At  the  eastern  entrance  end  of  the  Cornwall  Canal,  which  all  craft  must  use  on  the 
ascending  journey,  since  none  could  hope  to  stem  the  Long  Sault,  stands  the  town 
of  Cornwall,  which,  in  recent  years,  has  developed  into  a  manufacturing  centre, — its 
enormous  blanket  factory  and  cotton-mill  being  the  conspicuous  features  of  the  place. 
Near  it  runs  the  "  Province  Line,"  and  we  pass  out  of  Eastern  Ontario  into  Quebec. 
Near  the  same  point,  also,  the  boundary  line,  which  divides  Canada  from  the  United 
States,  recedes  from  the  St.  Lawrence.  Both  sides  of  the  river,  gradually  opening  into 
the  wide  expansion  of  Lake  St.  Francis,  are  prettily  diversified  with  woods  and  farms, 
while  bosky  islands  at  intervals  afford  a  welcome  retreat  for  campers, — white  tents  and 
light  summer  residences  gleaming  pleasantly  under  the  trees  by  the  river-side.  On  the 
left  bank,  we  pass  the  little  town  of  Lancaster.  Some  miles  inland,  are  the  old  Scotch 
settlements  of  Martintown  and  Williamstown.  On  the  right  shore  are  Dundee,  Fort 
Covington,  the  Salmon  River,  a  region  originally  peopled  also  by  refugees  from 
Connecticut  or  the  green  valley  of  the  Mohawk, — or  by  sturdy  Scotch  immigrants,  who 
have  given  to  their  new  homes  names  that  perpetuate  the  old  ones.  One  settlement 
is  called  the  "Isle  of  Skye,"  from  the  number  of  colonists  from  "Thule"  who  farm 
its  fertile  acres. 

But  the  chief  glory  of  the  sail  down  Lake  St.  Francis  is  the  distant  mountain 
range,  blue  against  the  horizon,  filling  up  the  lack  which  the  eye  has  vaguely  felt  in 
the  flat,  unbroken  horizon  which  bounds  the  greater  part  of  Ontario.  It  is  the 
Chateauguay  range, — a  spur  of  the  Adirondacks, — sometimes  drawing  nearer,  some- 
times receding  into  cloud-like  indistinctness.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  lake,  we  draw 
up  by  the  long  wooden  pier  of  Coteau  du  Lac,  whose  straggling  row  of  little  French 
houses,  looking  still  smaller  in  contrast  with  the  great  stone  church  and  gleaming 
spire,  gives  evidence  that  we  are  now  in  French  Canada.  A  charming  picture  does 
this  old  Coteau  make  as  seen  at  sunset  on  the  return  trip, — when  Lake  St.  Francis, 
still  as  a  mirror,  reflects  the  rich  crimsons  and  purples  of  the  descending  sun,  while 
the  old  brown  timbers  of  the  pier,  and  the  equally  old  and  brown  French  Canadian 
houses,  with  the  rather  Uutch-looking  boats  moored  by  the  pier, — "compose"  a  picture 
to  which  only  a  Turner  could  do  full    justice. 


148 


PICTURESQ UE  SPO  TS 


.? 


m 


I 


On  the  southern  shore,  opposite-  to  the  Coteau,  is  the  distant  town  of  Valleyfield, 
with  its  huge  cotton-mill,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Ueauharnois  Canal.  A  little  farther 
down,  the  shore  grows  bolder,  and  we  see  and  fool  the  quickening  current  of  the 
"Cellars"  Rapids.  We  sweep  past  a  richly-wooded  island, —  the  foliage  almost  dripping 
in  the  tossing  waters,  lly  past  a  sharp  curve,  and  the  eddying  water  springs  forward 
as  if   to  oppose    our  progress, — in    vain,   the    1;  am-crested    wave    is    behind,    and    a 

calm  stretch  intervenes.  A  little  farther  on,  tht  silvery  "  Cascades  Hash"  in  the  sun,— 
broken  only  by  rocky  islets,  round  which  tin;  rapids  toss  and  ravo.  while  high  on 
the  shore,  a  picturescpie  church-tower  rises  above  a  mass  of  tleep-green  woods.  Soon, 
we  find  ourselves  out  upon  Lake  St.  Louis,  while  far  to  our  loft  is  the  famous 
St.  Anne  of  the  Boat-song,  where  the  great  brown  stream  of  the  Ottawa  comes 
out  from  its  dark  hills,  mingling,  not  i)U:iuling,  with  the  blue  St.  Lawrence,  and 
sending  a  portion  of  its  stream  round  the  northern  siilo  of  the  triangular  island  of 
Montreal  which  we  are  approaching.  ( )n  the  southern  shore,  on  a  high  mound,  stands 
a  cross  for  mariners  to  look  to  in  time  of  peril,  —a  mute  witness  of  human  need  and 
aspiration.  Calm  and  shadowy  the  mountain  range  lies  behind  undulating  masses  of 
wood,  lighted  up  by  the    slanting    rays    of    thi;  rnoon    sun,  or    deepened    in    tint    by 

the  shadow  of   a  passing  cloud.      Far  ahead    lo  .    blue    shadowy   mass,  the    "moun- 

tain "  of  Montreal.  By  and  by,  other  cloudy  blue  hills  rise  on  the  horizon,  BelcTcil, 
St.  John,  and  the  sugar-loaf  of  Mount  Shefford.  The  traditional  Indian  pilot,  in  a  suit 
of  black,  glides  out  in  his  boat  from  Caughnawaga,  and  the  steamer  slackens  speed  to 
take  him  on  board.  The  current  of  the  river  grows  swifter,  breaks  in  curves,  and  circles 
past  Hat,  bushy  islands  ; — then,  sweeping  round  a  curve,  we  see  ahead  a  glittering  sheet 
of  snowy  breakers,  in  which  nestle  two  little  green  islets  washed  by  the  spray.  The 
headlong  rush  of  the  river  bears  us  towards  the  treacherous  ledge-broken  rock,  in 
some  places  left  bare  by  the  foaming  rapids,  shelving  on  one  side,  boldly  abrupt  on 
the  other.  We  fly  rapidly  through  the  eddies,  between  Scylla  and  Charybdis,  and  in 
a  few  moments  are  gliding  into  water  calm  by  comparison.  This  rapid  Las  not  the 
grandeur  of  the  Long  Sault,  nor  the  glittering  rush  of  the  Cascades;  but  the  treacher- 
ous swirling  waters,  and  the  half-hidden  rocks  that  we  seem  almost  to  graze,  make  it 
one  of   the  most  fascinating  and  dangerous. 

But  we  speedily  forget  the  perils  of  the  rapids  as  we  pass  the  beautiful  wooded 
shore  of  Nun's  Island,  with  its  shady  green  pastures,  and  come  upon  the  royal-looking 
city.  On  the  opposite  shore,  behind  the  villages  of  Laprairie  and  Longueuil,  rise  the 
isolated  mountains  of  Montarville.  Rougemont,  Shefford,  and  the  nearer  Beloeil,  "  bathed 
in  amethystine  bloom."  We  take  c  wide  sweep  in  front  of  the  city,  and  come  into 
port  near  the  island  of  St.  Helen's,  past  great  hulls  of  ocean  steamers  and  full-rigged 
ships,  where  the  old  weather-stained  Bonsecour's  Market,  and  still  older  Bonsecour 
Church,  bid  us  welcome  back  to  Montreal. 


tji 


OF    /7//f   NORTH 


I4<) 


The  NiACiARA   District. 


The 


RAI'IDS     AHOVK      TIIIO     KALLS. 


X'TT'l'",   liave  alrcadN'   touclicd   the    ^nat    I'rovince  of    Ontario  at    two  or    tlir-e    points; 

'  but  from  tlic;  City  of  Ottawa  we  followed  the  old  voyaocin-  routt^  to  tlie  North- 
west, and  pressed  on  till,  like  the  Verendryes,  we  came  in  si<^ht  ol  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  It  is  time  now  to  trcjat  in  detail  the  richest  and  most  populous  part  of 
the  Dominion.  I'erhajis,  we  should  he^in  with  the  capital  ;  hut  Nia,tjara  claims  pre- 
cedence, not  only  because  of  its  world-wide  fame,  but  because  in  its  district  was  the 
first  capital  of  Upper  Canada,  and  under  its  trees  the  first  Parliament  of  the  Province 
a.ssembled. 

The  peninsula  jutting  out  between  lakes  Erie  and  Ontario,  and  divided  from 
the  State  of  New  York  by  the  Niagara  River,  constitutes  what  is  known  as  the 
Niagara  District.  It  is  imrivalled  in  all  North  .America  for  its  genial  climate  and  the 
cultivated  beauty  of  it;:  fertile  and  richly-wooded   soil,  and  is   closely  knit   to   the  hearts 


ISO 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


of  its  people  by  its  noble,  historic  memories — memories  indissolubly  blended  with  the 
beautiful  river  which  glorifies  the  region  through  which  it  flows  and  to  which  it  has 
given  its  name.  These  memories  and  associations  of  the  brave  days  of  old  ought  not 
to  be  less  sacred  and  guarded  possessions  because  the  foes  who  once  dyed  the 
Niagara's  crystal  waters  with  blood  are  now  friends,  and  hold  its  joint  ownership  in 
peaceful  rivalry.  Through  the  heroic  valour,  sufferings  and  sacrifices  of  the  men 
who  defended  Queenston  Heights  a  nation  was  born,  destined,  we  may  well  believe, 
to  live  as  long  as  the  famous  river  on  whose  banks  the  first  touch  of  national  life 
was  felt. 

When  the  city  of  Quebec,  that  "  great  antiquity "  of  America,  was  only  a  palisaded 
fort,  with  a  few  rude  dwellings  of  the  white  men  gathered  under  its  shelter,  the  cata- 
ract of  Niagara  had  been  heard  of  in  Europe  as  the  supreme  wonder  of  the  New 
World,  and  now,  after  all  the  changes  time  has  wrought,  and  all  the  other  new  regions 
explored  since  then,  it  remains  incomparable  in  beauty  and  grandeur.  Volumes  of 
verbiage  have  been  written  about  it ;  artists  have  depicted  it  under  every  aspect  and 
from  every  point  of  view ;  holiday-idlers,  vacation  tourists,  and  travellers  in  search  of 
excitement  and  the  picturesque,  Hock  to  it  from  all  points  of  the  civilized  world ;  the 
greed  of  money-making  has  encompassed  it  with  mean  and  incongruous  surroundings ; 
but  custom  cannot  stale  its  infinite  variety,  nor  all  the  accompaniments  of  vulgar 
traffic  degrade  its  sublime  and  awful  majesty.  It  remains  the  ideal  water-fall  of  the 
world. 

The  name,  Niagara,  has  been  a  subject  of  much  discussion  among  philologists. 
Some  suppose  it  to  be  simply  a  contraction  of  the  Indian  word,  Onialigahrak,  meaning 
"thunder  of  waters."  Others  find  its  ori^^in  in  Onyalirah,  signifying  a  neck,  and 
applied  to  the  peninsula  or  neck  of  land  between  the  two  lakes.  Others  again  believe 
it  to  be  derived  from  the  name  of  a  tribe  dwelling  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  river 
when  the  first  explorers  and  missionaries  visited  the  West.  The  missionaries  called 
them  the  Neutre  Nation,  because  they  maintained  peace  with  both  the  Iroquois  and 
Huron  tribes,  who  were  always  at  war  with  each  other,  but  they  seem  to  have  called 
themselves  Onghiahrahs.  Drake,  in  his  "  Hook  of  the  Indians,"  called  them  the  Nica- 
rtagas,  and  supposes  them  to  have  been  partly  destroyed  by  the  Iroquois,  partly  absorbed 
by  the  Hurons.  The  name  of  the  river  has  been  spelled  in  many  different  ways.  In 
Coronelli's  map  of  Canada,  published  in  Paris  in  1688,  it  is  spelled  as  we  spell  it  now, 
but  it  was  probably  pronounced  then  as  in  the  well-known  line, 


And    Niagara  stuns   with   thundering   sound." 


This    pronunciation  is   more  in    accordance  with    Indian    phonology,  but,  apparently,  the 
accent    is    now    fixed    on    the    second    syllable.       Some    speakers    pronounce    the    word 


OF   THE  NORTH 


151 


N<?agara ;    but    it    is    to    be  hoped  that    this    piece    of  bad    taste    will    disappear   before 
long. 

L'hscarbot,  the  first  historian  of  Nouvelle  France,  says  that  Cartier,  when  in  1535 
he  visited  Canada  for  the  second  time,  heard  from  the  Indians  at  Hochelaga  that  the 
waters  of  the  Iroquois  country  were  carried  by  a  great  waterfall  into  the  lake  from 
whence  flowed  the  Fleuve  de  Canada,  or  river  St.  Lawrence.  In  Champlain's  narrative 
of  his  voyages,  published  in  161 3,  this  sault  d'eati  is  marked  on  accompanying  map, 
and  is  said  to  be  so  high  that  fish  were  killed  in  attempting  to  descend  it.  In  1648 
Father  Ragueneau,  a  Jesuit  priest,  in  a  letter  to  his  superior  at  Paris,  describes  it  as  a 
cataract  of  frightful  height.  But  the  first  description  we  have  by  an  eye-witness  is 
that  of  Father  Hennepin,  a  Flemish  friar  of  the  Recollet  branch  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Francis,  who  visited  it  in  1678.  leather  Hennepin  came  to  Canada  with  La 
Salle,  who  was  then  full  of  his  scheme  of  sailing  to  China  by  way  of  the  western 
lakes  and  the  Mississippi  River.  Having  decided  on  building  a  large  vessel  on 
Lake  Erie  for  the  voyage.  La  Salle  remained  at  Fort  F'rontenac  to  provide  men 
and  all  that  was  needed,  and  despatched  his  companion,  La  Motte,  with  Father 
Hennepin,  forward  on  the  route,  in  a  brigantine  of  ten  tons,  with  a  crew  of  sixteen 
men.  The  morning  of  the  6th  of  December,  1678,  the  brigantine  rounded  the  point 
on  which  Fort  Niagara  was  afterwards  built,  and  where  a  few  Indian  wigwams  then 
stood,  and  entered  the  mouth  of  the  beautiful  river,  while  a  joyful  Te  Deum,  from  all 
on  board,  rose  over  forest  and  stream,  and  rang  in  *^he  ears  of  the  listening  Indians. 
Proceeding  up  the  river  till  their  course  was  stopped  at  the  base  of  the  Niagara 
escarpment,  the  voyagciirs  landed  on  the  eastern  bank,  and  erected  a  palisaded  cabane  ; 
a  tangible  sign  that  the  dominion  of  the  land  was  about  to  pass  from  the  red 
man  to  the  white  invaders,  whom  the  Indians  soon  learned  to  designate  Otkoii — "men 
of  a  contriving  mind."  Guided  by  the  Indians,  La  Motte  and  F"ather  Hennepin  beht  id 
the  mighty  cataract  of  which  they  had  so  often  heard,  and  a  description  of  the  scene, 
accompanied  by  a  sketch,  is  given  in  the  friar's  journal  of  La  Salle's  expedition,  after- 
wards published  at  Amsterdam.  In  this  description  he  assumes  the  cataract  to  be 
six  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  mentions,  besides  th*:  two  gr^at  falls,  a  cross-fall,  which 
he  depicts  in  his  sketch  pouring  over  Table  Rock  ;  and  there  is  other  evidence  that 
this  small  cascade  once  existed.  Baron  La  Hontan,  who  saw  the  cataract  in  1681, 
but  whose  visit  wai-  made  brief  and  hurried  by  fear  of  an  attack  by  the  L-ocjuois,  adds 
two  hundred  feet  of  altitude  to  the  six  hundred  given  by  Father  Henne[)in.  These 
early  travellers  have  been  accused  of  purposely  adding  to  the  height  and  number  of 
the  falls  in  order  to  give  greater  effect  to  their  narratives ;  but  it  is  more  likely  that 
their  oxaggerations  were  owing  to  their  want  of  scientific  knowledge  to  correct  the 
figurative  language  of  the  Indians,  and  the  impressions  made  on  their  own  excited  i.n- 
aginations  by  the  sight  of  so  sublime  and  amr.zing  a  scene.       Father  Hennepin  lays  no 


152 


PICTURESQ I  'E   SPO I S 


claim  to  acciirac)-  of 
measurement,  but  de- 
scribes what  he  saw, 
"  as  near,"  he  says, 
"as  one  can  guess 
by  the  eye."  His 
sketch  shows  tiiat  he 
dill  not  understand 
perspectivi',  but.  when 
allowance  for  this  is 
made,  it  is  supposed 
to  t,nve  a  faithful 
outline  of  the  scen<' 
as  h(;  beheld  it.  Two 
cavaliers  are  standing 


on    the  bank,  doubtless    Intended    to    represent    La    Salle    and    La    Motte ;    and    a    man 


'•( 


OF    THE   NORTH 


u. 

i- 
U 


< 
a; 


< 


tic\    of 
lit   de- 
saw, 
says, 


: 
i 


154 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


in  a  loose  robe  and  broad  hat — of  course  Father  Hennepin  himself — is  seated  on  the 
ground,  and  pointing,  with  outstretched  hand,  to  "the  great  cadence  of  waters"  which 
he  has  described. 

Since  that  first  memorable  visit  to  Niagara  Falls,  more  than  two  hundred  years 
have  elapsed,  and  great  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  cliff  over  which  the  cataract 
pours.  The  piles  of  debris  at  the  foot  of  the  American  Fall  may  be  accepted  as 
evidence  that  the  large  space  behind  the  sheet  of  water,  where  Father  Hennepin  says 
four  coaches  might  have  driven  abreast,  then  actually  existed.  The  cross-fall  depicted 
ii.  Father  Hennepin's  sketch  as  pouring  obliquely  o\er  a  projecting  crag  from  Table 
Rock,  is  mentioned  by  M.  Kalm,  a  Swedish  botanist,  who  visited  the  F'alls  in  1 750, 
and  heard  then  that  it  had  disappeared  some  years  before.  From  that  time  the 
breakage  of  several  huge  masses  of  the  cliff  have  been  recorder"  ;  but  the  greatest 
of  all  was  that  which  took  place  June  25th,  1850,  when  nearly  the  whole  of  Table 
Rock,  a  projection  of  the  clifT  hanging  over  the  river,  two  hundr'iJ  teet  long,  sixty  feet 
wide,  and  a  hundred  feet  thick,  was  suddenly  precipitated  into  the  gulf  with  a  crash 
that  was  heard  miles  away.  Fortunately,  it  fell  at  noon,  when  few  people  were  out- 
of-doors,  and  at  ihe  moment  no  one  was  on  the  rock  but  the  driver  of  an  omnibus, 
who  had  taken  out  his  horses  to  feed  them,  and  v/as  washing  his  vehicle  on  the  edge 
of  the  cliff.  He  heard  the  warning  crash,  and  felt  the  motion  of  the  falling  rock  just 
in  time  to  escape,  but  the  vehicle  he  had  been  washing  went  down  into  the  abyss,  and 
so  did  innumerable  autographs  which  tourists  from  many  lands  had,  with  much  pains 
and  ingenuity,  inscribed  on  the  face  of  the  cliff,  but  which  were  then  forever  consigned 
to  oblivion  in  the  gulf  beneath.  Now  all  that  is  left  of  the  far-famed  Table  Rock  is 
a  narrow  ledge  bordering  the  bank  where  it  j:;ts  out  close  to  the  Horse-shoe  Fall,  but 
from  it  the  grc^ndest  and  most  comprehensive  view  of  the  wide  sweep  of  the  cataract, 
and  of  the  rapids  above,  is  still  to  be  obtained. 

Other  large  masses  of  rock  have  been  known  to  break  away  from  the  midst 
of  the  cataract,  to  plunge  into  the  chasm  with  a  thunderous  noise,  making,  in  one  or 
two  instances,  a  perceptible  change  in  the  form  of  the  Horse-shoe ;  and  always  the 
ceaseless,  insidious  attacks  of  the  powers  of  water,  frost,  ice  and  snow  are  at  work 
grinding,  crushing,  breaking  up,  and  wearing  away  the  rocky  barriers  that  hem  in  the 
torrents.  Slowly  but  effectually  these  strenuous  forces  of  nature  are  making  an  easier 
passage  for  the  river's  course  and  changing  the  aspect  of  the  scene  just  as  they  have 
been  doing  for  ages  past,  and  will  continue  to  do  for  ages  more,  till  the  last  obstruc- 
tion to  the  water's  even  flow  shall  have  vanished. 

In  1757  M.  Kalm's  description  of  the  Falls  of  Niagara  was  published  in  the 
London  Gentlemen's  Magazine.  Every  year  they  became  more  famous,  and  many  noted 
travellers  visited  them.  Volney,  the  French  savant,  saw  them  and  wrote  an  elaborate 
description  of  their  wonders.     Chateaubriand,  escaping  from    the    agony  of    the    Revolu- 


II 


OF   THE  NORTH 


>55 


tion  to  the  peaceful  "  forest  primeval  "  of  the  west,  spent  days  and  nights  beside  them 
in  an  Indian  wigwam;  and  in  his  romance  of  "Atala"  he  has  painted  them  in  glow- 
ing colours.  Lord  Edward  Fitzgerald,  whose  love  of  the  Irish  people  and  tragic  fate 
has  made  him  one  of  the  most  beloved  of  Irish  heroes,  visited  them  in  1789.  He  saw 
them  at  the  loveliest  period  of  the  Canadian  year,  when  May  and  June  meet  together, 
when  spring  flowers  are  yet  in  all  their  beauty,  and  spring  foliage  is  expanding  into 
the  richness  of  leafy  June;  when  the  springs  and  water  founts  that  feed  the  great 
flood  of  waters  are  all  full  and  overflowing.  Young,  enthusiastic,  and  a  genuine  lover 
of  nature,  he  was  enraptured  with  the  scene.  Writing  to  his  mother  he  tells  her  how 
much  impressed  he  was  by  the  immense  height  and  noise  of  the  Falls;  the  spray 
rising  to  the  clouds,  the  greenness  and  tranquillity  of  the  immense  forests  around  ;  and 
adds:  "To  describe  them  would  be  impossible;  Homer  could  not  in  poetry,  nor 
Claude  Lorraine  in  painting."  He  stayed  three  days,  and  says  he  was  absolutely 
obligel    to   tear    himself  away  at    last. 

It  is,  perhaps,  hardly  possible  for  us  now  to  conceive  the  awful  and  mysterious 
splendour  of  virgin  beauty  which  must  then  have  enveloped  the  great  cataract.  In 
those  early  days  Nature  reigned  there  supreme,  and  no  puny  work  of  man  had  dared  to 
invade  her  sacred  precincts.  Then  the  overwhelming  grandeur  of  the  sight  came  sud- 
denly on  the  traveller,  as  he  emerged  from  the  narrow  Indian  path  which  led  to  it 
through  the  forest,  his  imagination  gradually  rising  in  excitement  as  the  muffled, 
swelling,  vibrating  harmony  which  seemed  drawing  him  towards  it  grew  nearer  and 
nearer.  Then  it  was  beheld  in  the  fitting  environment  of  the  solemn  woods,  the 
stately  pines  and  cedars  standing  on  its  banks  like  faithful  sentinels,  and  the 
rhythmic  cadence  of  its  voice  filling  the  silence  that  seemed  hushed  to  listen.  No 
wonder  that  it  was  an  object  of  superstitious  fear  and  awe  to  the  Indians  who  made 
pilgrimages  thither  at  stated  times  to  propitiate  its  angry  waters  with  wild  and  cruel 
rites.  To  appease  its  wrath,  an  offering  was  made  every  year  of  a  beautiful  young 
girl,  who  was  first  bound  in  a  canoe  and  then  set  adrift  in  the  rapids,  the  singers 
chantinc^  her  death-song  till  her  frail  bark  was  swept  over  the  cataract  and  swallowed 
up  in  the  whirling  foam  and  spray.  Those  horrid  rites  have  vanished,  but  supersti- 
tious fancies  still  cling  to  the  scene,  and  old  inhabitants  say  that  the  spirit  of  the 
cataract  still  claims  its  tribute,  and  that  no  year  ever  passes  without  some  hapless 
victim  falling  a  prey  to  its  fatal  power  of  attraction. 

The  river  Niagara,  from  its  rise  in  Lake  Erie  till  it  enters  Lake  Ontario  at  the 
beautiful  old  town  to  which  it  has  given  its  name,  is  thirty-six  miles  in  length,  following 
the  course  of  its  many  bends  and  windings,  but  when  measured  in  a  straight  course  the 
distance  it  traverses  is  only  twenty-eight  miles.  It  is  a  mere  pigmy  compared  to 
the  gigantic  rivers  of  this  continent,  but  through  it  flow  the  mighty  currents  of 
those    western    inland  seas   which    are    said  to   hold  half   the    fresh  water  on  the  globe. 


•56 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


OLD     KOKT     F.KU:,     AND     WINDMILL. 


No  |iiece  of  water 
of  so  small  an  ex- 
tent has  so  many 
attractions  for  the 
lovers  of  pictur- 
esque scenery  and 
the  scientific  students  of  nature ;  and  from  berrinnincf  to  end  it  is  closely  intertwined 
with  historic  events,  traeii^ic  incidents,  and  the  deepest  interests  and  emotions  of  human  life. 
As  it  emer<j^es,  a  mile  in  width,  from  the  lake,  it  passes  the  ruined  ramparts  of 
Fort  Erie,  round  which  there  was  much  hard  fi<j;^htin<j^,  with  varying  fortunes  to  the 
combatants,  in  the  war  of  1812-15.  The  villa_<re  of  Krie,  near  the  old  fort,  carries  on 
an   active  trade   by  its  ferry  with    the  city   of    Buffalo  on  the    American   shore.      In    this. 


W 


or    THE   NORTH 


157 


^^'''>r , ;  •' I  y»? ; '^{  .K*< <^'j  ',nry^ ,'>;^  ' 


Mori'ii   oi'   nil-;    ciiii'I'i;\va    kivkk. 


life. 


hov^ever.  it  hiis  been  outstripped  of  late  by  the  new  town  of  X'ictoria,  between  which 
and  Black  Rock,  a  suburb  of  Buffalo,  the  International  Railway  Bridge,  -1  hand- 
some iron  structure,  crosses  the  river.  At  this  spot  the  Niagara  is  only  half  a 
mile  wide,  and  somewhat  hurried  in  its  course,  as  if  eager  to  hasten  on  its  mis- 
sion of  the  bearer  of  so  many  mighty  fountains  to  the  ocean,  but  it  quickly  calms 
down  again,  expanding  to  its  former  breadth ;  and  as  it  winds  in  and  out  of  every 
tiny  bay  and  little  inlet,  and  ripples  round  the  islands  that  gem  its  bosom,  one  might 
fancy  it  was  purposely  lingering  on  its  way  among  the  fertile  fields  and  rich  orchartls 
that  border  its  shores,  conscious  of  the  dark  and  rock-bound  abyss  into  which  it  is 
so  soon  to  fall.  During  its  brief  course  it  makes  a  descent  of  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  feet,  the  difference  of  level  between  its  outflow  from  Lake  Mrie,  and  its  inflow 
into  Lake  Ontario,  but  the  greatest  part  of  this  is  accomplished  in  the  rapids  above 
the  Falls,  and  in  the  plunge  over  the  cataract.  For  several  miles  it  continues  ^.o  flow 
gently  among  its  many  islands,  its  current  only  swift  enough  to  give  life  and  bright- 
ness to  the  stream,  its  low  banks  almost  on  a  level  with  the  water,  and  its  course 
lying  through  some  of  the  richest  grain  and  fruit-growing  lands  in  the  world.  .Six 
miles  below   l*"ort   Krie   it  opens    wide  arms    to  embrace    Cirand   Island,   which   lies  within 


•58 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


tlu;  United  States  territory,  and  divides  the  river  into  two  great  channels.  I'hese 
channels  unite  again  at  Navy  Island,  the  only  one  of  the  islands  above  the  I'alls 
which  belongs  to  Canada.  It  was  named  Isle  cic  la  Marine  by  tin;  I'rencii  who  used  it 
as  a  naval  station  till  their  power  on  the  river  was  lost  by  the  surrender  of  l"'ort 
Niagara  to  Sir  William  Johnson  in  1759.  In  the  bay  formeil  by  Huckhorn  and  (irand 
Islands  may  still  be  seen  some  remains  of  the  two  ships  whicli  had  been  sent  with 
reinforcements  to  the  fort,  but  on  its  surrender  had  been  burnt  by  the  I'rench  to 
keep  them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  In  the  rebellion  of  William 
Lyon  Mackenzie  and  his  party  in  1837,  Navy  Island  played  a  conspicuous  part.  The 
insurgents,  and  their  American  sympathizers,  led  by  Mackenzie,  formeil  a  camp  there, 
and  while  the  steamer  "  Caroline "  was  employed  in 
bringing  guns  and  stores  to  their  aid  from  the 
American  side  she  was  seized  by  a  few  daring 
Canadian  volunteers,  cut  out  from  her  night  quar- 
ters at  Schlosser  Landing,  se^  (^n  fire  and  sent  over 
the  Falls.  This  gallant  exploit  nearly  brought  on 
a  war  between  America  and  England  ;  but  the 
leaders  were  afterwards  rewarded  for  it  by  the 
Canadian    Parliament. 


A     GLIMPSK     OK      \\W.     I'ALI.S,     KKOM     CLUTON. 


Ul 


OF   THE  NORTH 


'59 


'} 


I 


Three  miles  above  the  Kails  is  the  village  of  Chippewa  (an  Indian  word,  signify- 
fying  "people  without  moccasins"),  where  Moore  landed  from  a  small  trading  schooner 
in  1803,  proceeding  by  the  portage  road  round  the  I'^alls  to  Niagara.  Chippewa  was 
then  a  place  of  some  consequence  as  the  southern  entrepot  for  all  goods  shipped 
to  and  from  Lake  Erie,  and  had  a  fort  and  garrison  to  protect  its  large  store- 
houses. The  opening  of  the  Welland  Canal  closed  the  carrying-trade  by  the  portage 
road,  and  destroyed  the  commercial  prosperity  of  Chippewa  as  well  as  that  of 
Queenston  and  Niagara.  The  village  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  Chippewa  River, 
a  full,  deep,  placid  stream,  which  has  its  rise  fifty  miles  away  in  the  west,  and  here 
falls  into  the  Niagara.  Quantities  of  logs  are  annually  floated  down  its  stream  from 
the  rich  timber  lands  through  which  it  flows,  and  steam-tugs  ascend  its  course  nearly 
all  the  way.  At  its  mouth  its  waters  are  on  a  level  with  those  of  the  Niagara,  and 
its  turbid  stream,  discoloured  by  the  lime  it  holds  in  solution,  can  be  clearly  distin- 
guished   from   the   crystal    waters  of  the    Niagara  for  some  distance  after  their  junction. 

Chippewa  is  memorable  in  our  annals  for  the  battle  fought  on  its  plains  in  1814, 
when  less  than  three  thousand  British  troops  and  Canadian  militia  attacked  an  Ameri- 
can force  double  their  number,  and  attempted  to  drive  them  from  the  field.  The 
assailants  were,  in  the  end,  obliged  to  retreat  to  their  entrenchments  at  Chippewa  village  ; 
but  the  courage  and  steadiness  with  which  they  had  maintained  the  fight  against 
such  superior  numbers,  and  especially  the  heroic  valour  of  the  Lincoln  militia,  under 
Major  David  Secord,  made  this  lost  battle  as  worthy  of  honourable  remembrance  as  if 
it  had  been  a  victory. 

Below  Chippewa  the  Niagara  Is  nearly  three  miles  in  width,  but  it  suddenly  con- 
tracts to  less  than  a  mile,  ripples  appear  on  its  surface,  and  no  boat  can  venture  within 
the  current,  which  runs  at  the  rate  of  from  four  to  five  miles  an  hour.  Half-a-mile 
above  the  cataract  the  Grand  Rapids  begin,  and  the  sudden  descent  of  the  bed  of  the 
river  causes  its  bank  to  rise  into  view,  especially  on  the  western  side,  which  increases 
in  height  till,  above  the  Horse-shoe  Fall,  it  attains  an  elevation  of  a  hundred  feet 
over  the  water.  Below  it,  the  river  rushes  down  in  those  wonderful  rapids  which 
add  so  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  Falls.  Piaster  and  faster  they  rush  on  in  exquisite 
curves  of  green  crystalline  water  with  crescents  of  glittering  white  foam,  keeping,  in 
spite  of  their  wild  speed  and  whirling  commotion,  an  ordered  and  symmetrical 
procession  of  indescribable  beauty  and  fascination,  till  all  blend  together  in  the  last 
desperate  leap,  and  are  swallowed  up  in  the  abyss  below. 

The  cataract  of  Niagara  is  divided  into  two  great  falls  by  Goat  Island,  which 
lies  in  the  very  midst  of  their  thunders,  and  interposes  its  wooded  and  rocky  banks 
between  them  for  a  distance  of  three  hundred  yards.  This  island  and  its  small  sister 
islands,  Lunar  Island  and  the  Moss  Islands,  are  in  the  United  States,  but  are  private 
property ;     and     except    that     they      are    connected     with     each     other,    and     with     the 


l6o 


riCTURESQ  UE  SPO  TS 


niuinlaiul  by  picturcs(|ii(!  bridges  skilfully  spanninij  tlii'  rapids,  thcv  have  lurii  kept  as 
much  as  [jossiblc  in  their  wild  |)riin(!\al  Ixiauty,  j^cms  of  sylvan  lovclintiss  slrunj,^  on 
the  brow  of  the  precipice  over  which  the  toi ,  "n  sweeps.  In  the  ureal  I  lorsoshoe  ball, 
however,  Canada  possesses  much  the  finest  half  of  the  cataract,  ;ind  the  mysterious 
Whirlpool  which  is,  in  some  respects,  even  more  womlerful  than  the  cataract  itself,  lies 
embedded  in  the-  Canadian  shor(^  Ami  it  is  only  from  the  Canada  side  that  the  soft 
ethereal  veils  of  vapour,  which  ,t,nve  such  mystic  beauty  to  the  balls,  and  the  iHttinjj^, 
chanf^oful  rainbows,  which  throw  over  them  such  a  halo  of  glory,  can  be  seen  in  per- 
fection. Table  Rock,  too,  or  rather  the  small  ]jiece  that  remains  of  it,  gives  at  once  a 
nearer,  a  wiiler,  ami  a  more  comprehensive  view  of  the  sc(;ne  than  can  be  had  any- 
where else  -taking  in,  at  the  same  moment,  the  magniticent  race;  of  the  rapids  above, 
the  sweep  of  the  whole  cataract,  and  the  se(!thing  depths  of  the  great  caldron 
below.  To  stand  on  this  spot,  on  sonu;  lovely  summer's  day,  and  watch  tin;  rapids 
madly  rushing  ilown  ;  to  see  the  grand  ocean-like  wav<;  rising  twenty  feet  in  thickness 
over  the  Horse-shoe  ball,  so  massive  that  it  retains  its  smoothness  unbroken  for  some 
distance,'  after  its  fall,  and  so  close  to  whtire  you  stand  that  your  outstretched  iiand 
might  almost  touch  it  ;  to  look  down  into  the  caldron  wlu're  the  water  lies 
strangled  and  smothered  by  its  own  weight,  onl)-  showing  th(>  fierce  convulsions 
beneath  b)-  the  faintest  stirrings,  its  crystalline  clearness  changetl  into  a  mass  of 
slowly  seething,  curdltHl  whiti;  foam,  which  wraps  it  like  a  winding  sheet  ;  to  see  the 
vast  volumes  of  va])our  continually  rising  and  falling,  now  hiding,  now  revealing  the 
cataract,  while  in  its  deepest  curve  and  centre  volcanic-lik(;  jets  of  water,  breaking  into 
clouds  of  spray  and  soaring  high  into  tin;  air,  forevc^r  hitie  its  face;  to  listen  to  "that 
vast  and  prodigious  cadence,"  that  melody  of  n-ian\-  waters,  which  stirred  the  soul  of 
Father  Hennepin  to  awe  and  admiration,  and  still  e.xcites  the  same  emotions  in  all 
who  are  capable  of  feeling  them — will  give  x\\v.  truest  conception  one  view  can  give  of 
the  various  elements  of  beauty  and  gramleur  combineil  in  Niagara  balls.  Here  those 
incongruous  and  disturbing  concomitants,  which  elsewhere  are  perpetually  intruding,  are 
put  aside  and  hidden,  or,  at  any  rate,  absorbed  and  dissipated  in  the  magnitude 
and  sublimit}-  of  the  scene.  And  the  oftener  we  behold  this  magniiicent  sight 
the  more  wonderful  and  beautiful  we  discover  it  to  be.  i'he  true  lovers  and 
constant  companions  of  Nature  know  how  infinite  in  variety  she  is,  and  that 
every  day,  every  hour,  her  fairest  scenes  assume  fresh  phases  of  beauty ;  how, 
then,  can  all  that  makes  this  cataract  the  wonder  of  the  world  be  grasped  and 
comprehended  in  one  hurried  visit?  It  is  with  it  as  with  all  masterpieces.  The 
mind  of  the  spectator  must  be  gradually  u|)lifted  to  feel  and  understand  its 
greatness ;  and  it  is  only  to  those  who  come  to  it  again  and  again,  in  sunshine 
and  cloud,  by  day  and  by  night,  in  summer  antl  in  winter,  that  its  wonders  are  fully 
revealed. 


t^,    are 

ni  tilde 

sitjht 

and 

that 

how, 

and 

Tlie 

I     its 

shine 

fully 


01-   run  xoRTir 


i6i 


*i 


■ 


If)2 


PICTURESQ IE  SPO TS 


\    \ 


\  "aX 


The  American  Fall  is  eight  feet  higher  than  the  Horse-shoe,  hut  less  than  half 
its  width,  and  with  a  mucii  smaller  volume  of  water.  It  has,  however,  a  distinct  indi- 
viduality and  picturescjii''  charm  of  its  own,  more  sparkling  and  riant,  though  less 
grand  and  majestic,  than  the  Horse-shoe.  Its  thinner  sheet  of  water  is  shattered 
the  moment  it  strikes  the  precipice,  and  falls  in  graceful  lines  of  white,  curling  foam, 
lighted  up,  in  sunshine,  with  all  the  prismatic  hues,  every  drop  of  water  shining  with 
gem-like  radiance  through  its  misty  veils. 

Beyond  the  clouds  of  mist  and  spray,  which  wrap  the  base  of  the  great  I'alls,  and 
the  deep  caldron  out  of  which  they  rise,  the  river  (jmerges,  flowing  on  to  meet  its 
divided  stream  at  tlie  American  l-'all.  And  here  another  change  takes  place  in  this 
river,  so  rich  in  its  varied  forms  of  beauty.  Above  the  I'alls  it  runs  nearly  south-west, 
but  after  its  plunge  over  the  cataract,  it  turns  a  sharj)  angle,  and  runs  almost  north- 
east. Leaving  behind  all  the  foam  and  fury  of  the  rapids,  all  tiie  grand  turmoil  of 
plunging  water  and  breaking  s  )ray  of  the  Falls,  it  llows  on  in  a  smoolii,  steady 
stream,  its  darkly-green,  slowly-heaving  surface  hiding  tlie  fierce  currents  that  run  toil- 
ing and  struggling  below.  Here,  antl  all  round  the  basin  of  tlu;  cataract,  numbers 
of  picturesque  gulls  are  contmually  flitting,  d.'>"'^!ng  to  and  fro,  ami  in  and  out  of  the 
spray  with  swift  gjrations,  and  low,  mournful  murmurs.  ller(!,  too,  a  little  ferry-boat 
plies  between  the  Canadian  and  American  shores.  A  trip  in  this  boat  takes  the 
passengers  in  front  of  the  cataract,  and  as  near  its  great  gulf  as  is  consistent  with 
safety,  giving  them  one  of  the  grandest  views  of  the  Falls  that  can  Ije  had.  Looking 
up  at  them  from  the  bed  of  the  river,  which  is  here  almost  two  hundred  feet  deep, 
the  height  and  force  of  the  falling  Hood,  always  lessened  in  effect  by  its  immense 
breadth  to  those  who  look  down  on  it,  can  be  fully  recognized  ;  while  the  pulsing  and 
throbbing  of  the  mighty  current  imprisoned  and  struggl-ug  lor  an  outlet  beneath,  and 
over  which  the  frail  skiff  glides,  gives  a  thrillintr  '->  nse  of  po-ible  danger,  and  adds 
another    excitement    to    the   wonder    of    'hp   s 

A    few    years    ago    the    "  Maid    '  allest  of    all    tiny  steamboats, 

built    at  the    railway  bridge  below  T  .u.  i  fro  over  this   eddy,  venturing 

to    the    very    edge    of     the    aby^  i    givin.      iier    passengers    a   sensational    baptism 

of  spray.  But  after  a  while  she  faileei  to  p  expenses,  and  her  owner  sold  her,  the 
purchaser  making  the  condition  that  sh'  should  be  safely  di  vered  at  the  mouth 
of    the    river.      For   this    she    had    to  be    taken    through    the    -'  rs    of    the    whirlpool 

rapids,  of  the    whirlpool    itself,  and  of    the    narrow   gorge,   fro  lence    to    Queenston ; 

altogether,  six  miles  of  wild,  whirling  water,  bristling  with  formi  hie  rocks.  Anxiously 
watched  along  her  course  by  e.xcited  spectators,  the  tiny  vessel  .nd  her  daring  crew  of 
three  men  made  the  perilous  voyage  in  safety,  but  with  a  series  of  almost  miraculous 
escapes  the  whole  way  ;  and  it  is  said  that  her  pilot,  a  man  of  extraordinary  skill  and 
courage,  was  so  much  shaken  in  mind  and  body  by  the  strain  that  had  been  put  upon 


^. 


or  run  north 


«63 


him,   that  lie  sfcincil  twinity  years  older  when  he  left  tlie  boat.     Since  then  no  attempt 
has  been   made  to  navigate  the  Niagara  ra[)ids. 

After  a  few  days  of  hard  frosf  in  winter,  the  I'ails  in-come  more  lil<e  a  vision  of 
some  enchanted  land  tiian  a  real  scen«;  in  tlic  world  we  are  living  in.  No  marvels 
wrought  by  genii  and  magicians  in  lCast(;rn  tal(;s  coiiKl  surpass  the  wonderful  creations 
that  rise  along  the  surrounding  Jj.uiks,  and  hang  owx  ilic  walls  of  the  cataract.  (dit- 
tering  wreaths  of  icicles,  like  jewelled  diadems,  gU;am  on  tin;  brow  of  cviry  projecting 
rock  and  jutting  crag.  Arches,  pillars,  ar.d  porticos,  of  shining  splendour,  arc  grouped 
beneath  the  overhanging  cliffs,  giving  fanciful  suggestions  of  fairy-palaces  beyond 
Every  fallen  fragment  of  rock  under  its  icy  covering  becomes  a  marble  column 
pyramid,  or  obelisk,  and  masses  of  frozen  spraj'  stand  out  here  and  tiurc  in  grace- 
ful and  statuesque  forms,  easily  shaped  by  imagination  into  the  half-finished  work  of 
a  sculptor,  livery  rift  and  opening  in  the  cliff  is  transformed  into  an  alabaster  grotto, 
with  friezes  and  mouldings  "all  fretted  anil  fiozc,"  with  filagree  wreaths,  and  fes- 
toons, and  filmy  veils  and  canopies  of  lace-like  pattern  and  gossamer  texture  ;  ami  on 
every  curve  and  angle,  round  every  fissure  and  crevice,  some  fantastic  and  lovely  deco- 
ration is  woven  by  winter's  master-artist,  King  I'lost.  Over  the  Horse-shoe,  towards 
Goat  Island  and  the  Bridal-veil  Fall,  the  water  pours  in  thin,  silvery  sheets,  which 
dissolve  into  white,  curling  mists  as  they  slide  slowly  down.  Pinnacles  of  ice,  stretch- 
ing high  above  them,  break  these  falling  streams.  The  American  hall,  through  its 
hovering  veil  of  spray,  seems  transformed  into  wreaths  of  frozen  fo.im.  The  face  of 
Goat  Island  is  n;splendent  with  huge,  many-tinted  icicles,  showing  all  the  colours  of 
the  rocks  on  which  they  are  formed  ;  and  on  either  sliorc  the  umlercliffs  are  hung  with 
lovely  draperies  of  frozen  s])ray.  Every  house,  and  fence  and  railing,  every  tree  and 
shrub,  and  tiny  twig  and  blade  of  grass,  on  which  this  wonder-working  spray  falls  and 
freezes,  becomes  wrapped  in  a  gleaming  white  crust,  and  glistens  in  the  sun  as  if  made 
of  crystal  and  mother-of-pearl,  brom  the  tips  of  the  evergreen  branches  hang  clusters 
of  ice-balls,  popularly  called  ice-apples,  which  flash  and  glitter  when  the  rays  of  sun- 
light fall  on  them,  like  the  jewels  growing  on  the  trees  of  the  magic  garden  in  the 
Arabian  Nights.  Still  more  fairy-like  are  the  evanescent  charms  produced  by  a  night's 
hoar  frost,  fringing  the  pearly  covering  in  which  everything  is  wrapped  with  a  delicate, 
fragile  efflorescence,  and  giving  a  soft,  shadowy,  visionary  aspect  to  the  whole  scene,  as 
if  it  were  the  creation  of  some  wonderful  dream.  Then,  as  the  sun  before  which  its 
unearthly  beauty  melts  away  shines  out,  all  changes  for  a  few  brief  minutes  into  a 
sparkling,  dazzling  glory,     as  if  a  shower  of  diamond  dust  had  suddenly  fallen. 

In  the  midst  of  these  sights  of  weird  and  wondrous  beauty,  the  mighty  volume 
of  water  which  pours  over  the  great  Horse-shoe  sweeps  grandly  down  through  the 
masses  of  frozen  spray,  ice,  and  snow  piled  up  round  its  channels  ;  and  in  clear,  sunny 
weather    the  most  magnificent    colour-effects  are  shown    in  the  vivid  green  of  the  great 


1 64 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


II 


nil,     llOKSIi-sHOt:     lALL,     I  Rt)M     L'NDKR     CI.II'I'     AT     (iOAl      ISLAND. 

unbroken  wave  that  rolls  over  tiic  iireciplcc.  coinnistini,^  with  tlu;  glittering-  white  of 
the  spray-covered  rocks  and  snowy  hanks  hcyoiul.  'Ihen  the  smooth,  rounded,  green 
roller  breaks  into  a  wild   chaos  of    whirling    and   tossing    foam,   while    torrents    of    s])ray 


i*( 


OF   THE  NORTH 


165 


tc  of 
|)r;i\- 


and  clouds  of  mist  rise  column  on  column  into  the  clear,  blue  frosty  air,  every  trans- 
parent fold  and  fringe  of  vapour  illumined  with  the  bright  tints  of  the  rainbows 
hovering  round,  forming  and  breaking,  and  forming  again  in  wavering,  shimmering, 
ever-changing  beauty. 

It  must,  however,  be  understood  that  there  are  unpropitious  hours  and  days  when 
no  rainbow  is  visible,  and  times  and  seasons  when  that  translucent  purity  of  water  and 
emerald-green  colour,  which  those  who  best  know  Niagara  Falls  always  associate  with 
them,  are  not  to  be  seen.  After  heavy  rains  and  floods,  the  crystal  Niagara,  lik^  other 
rive;s,  becomes  more  or  less  turbid,  sometimes  looking  grey  and  wan  under  clouded 
skies,  or  showing  a  dark,  olive-green  tint,  or  gleaming  when  the  sun  breaks  out  with 
the  golden  hue  of  an  onyx.  And  perhaps,  in  describing  these  wonderful  Falls,  the  only 
thing  that  can  be  positively  affirmed  about  their  aspect  is  that  whatever  peculiar 
charm  we  find  in  them  to-day  will  be  replaced  by  some  other  and  wholly  different 
charm  to-morrow. 

Some  winters  the  heavy  masses  of  ice  constantly  coming  over  the  cataract  become 
firmly  jammed  together  outside  the  basin,  formini,  a  bridge  from  shore  to  shore,  some- 
times extending  far  down  the  river.  Over  this  bridge  tourists,  sight-seers,  and  idlers 
of  every  description  pass  backwards  and  forwards,  the  roughness  of  the  road,  often 
broken  and  uneven  in  places,  and  thickly  encrusted  witli  frozen  spray,  giving  a  little 
difficulty  and  excitement  to  the  passage,  though  the  immense  thickness  of  the  ice- 
blocks  so  firmly  wedged  together  make  it  for  tin;  time  as  safe  as  /crra  firma.  The 
view  of  the  Falls  from  the  ice  is  magnificent,  but  the  ice-hills  are  a  still  greater  at- 
traction. These  are  fornnd  among  the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the;  Ami-rican  Fall  by 
accumulations  of  frozen  spray,  rising  layer  above  layer,  till  immense  cones  of  ice,  forty, 
b!xty,  even  eighty  feet  high,  arc  made.  All  day  long,  boys  in  their  small  haiui-sleds 
slide  down  these  huge  slopes,  and  sometimes,  on  moonlight  nights,  toboggan  parlii'S 
assemble  and  enjoy  the  exciting  amuscnKMit,  amidst  romantic  and  picturesque  surround- 
ings  nowhere  else   to   i)e    foinul. 

liv  a  pathway  formed  l)ei()\v  the  cliff,  visitors  may  go  under  the  projecting  ledge 
over  wiiioh  the  llorse-shoe  I'all  makes  its  great  plunge.  bantering  through  an  arch 
forty  feet  wide  and  a  hundnul  and  fifty  feet  high,  formed  on  one  siile  by  tlie  oxer- 
hanging  cliff  and  on  the  otiier  by  the  mighty  wave  of  water,  they  are  in  the  very 
centro  of  the  cataract  wrapjied  in  clouds  of  spray,  and  with  the  awful  voice  of  the 
great  flood  thundering  overhead  as  it  plunges  into  the  gulf  below.  This  is  called  by 
the  guides  the  "Cave  of  Thunders."  On  the  American  side  visitors  may  pass  through 
the  "Cave  of  the  Winds"  luuh'r  Luna  Fall,  the  name;  giv(!n  to  a  part  of  the  American 
I'all  divided  from  the  main  sheet  of  water  by  a  narrow  strip  of  rock.  Here  the 
water,  more  broken  and  .scattered  than  at  the  Horse-shoe,  is  seen  failing  in  shining, 
translucent    streams,  shooting    up    again  in   showers    of   glittering    spray,  and    sparkling 


t66 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


'^^H'  v/    ■ 


■■^A^^^i 


^ 


*!fc 


MA(;AKA     win  IKK     SCKNKS. 


Jw 


OF   TriE  NORTir 


i6: 


't4iV 


ici-:   <;ki>\'i^. 


1. 


drops  of  water  s^lcaining  with  all  tlu;  colours  of  the  rainbows  that  come  (lashiiii^-  in 
with  every  ray  of  sunlij^ht.  In  these  caves  the  most  sublime  ami  magnificent,  the 
most  i)eauliful  and  enchantins^,  aspects  of  water  are  prestMUtul.  but  they  cannot  be 
safely  enteretl   without  _L,niides. 

Clark's  Islands,  sometimes  mort;  poetically  called  Cynthia's  Islands,  lie  close  to 
the  Can.ula  shore,  and  are  set  in  the  mitist  of  tlut  rapids  aboxc  the  llorse-shoe  I'^all, 
where  the  current  runs  with  its  greatest  velocity.  They  are  prettiK-  wooiieil,  and  their 
picturesque  situation,  among  the  leaping  rapids,  gives  tluMii  peculiar  attractions,  which, 
however,   are  somewhat   marred   b\'   a   hideous  structiu'e,    built   to    overlook   the    Falls. 

When    Lord    Uufferin   was  ( lOvcrnor-Cu'neral    of    Canada    he    lormcd   the    project  of 


i68 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


an  International  Park  to  extend  round  the  Falls  and  their  environs  on  both  sides  of 
the  river.  All  buildings  were  to  be  removed  within  a  proper  distance,  trees  were  to 
be  planted  and  walks  made,  but  everything  was  to  be  done  with  the  single  purpose 
of  giving  such  a  free,  noble,  and  natural  environment  to  the  great  cataract  as  would 
harmonize  with  and  keep  sacred  its  supreme  grandeur  and  loveliness.  This  project 
was  brought  before  the  Canadian  Government  and  the  New  York  Legislature,  and 
at  first  there  seemed  some  hope  that  the  two  peoples  on  whom  this  glorious  gift 
of  Nature  has  been  bestowed,  and  who  hold  it  in  trust  for  all  other  nations,  would 
unite  in  thus  showing  their  desire  to  act  as  faithful  guardians  of  so  great  a  trust,  and 
preserve  it  sacred  and  unsullied  for  their  children,  and  the  children  of  other  lands. 
Nothing,  however,  has  yet  been  done,  the  great  difficulty  being,  it  seems,  to  find  the 
money  retjuired  to  carry  out  such  a  plan  ;  as  it  would  bring  in  no  return  which  those 
who  measure  the  worth  of  all  things  by  dollars  aiul  cents  could  comprehend. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  cataract  the  Suspension  Bridge  for  foot  and  car- 
riage passengers  crosses  the  river.  It  is  twelve  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  long, 
and    one    hundred    and    ninety-two    feet    above    the    water.       The     Railway    Suspension 


Till'.   \\iin<i.i'<)(.)L. 


OF   7 HE  NORTH 


169 


Bridge  is  a  mile  and-  a  half  below  the  Falls,  and  is  eight  hundred  feet  in  length, 
and  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  river.  It  is  built  in  two  tiers  ;  a  carriage- 
way level  with  the  edge  of  the  chasm,  and  the  railway-track  on  a  level  with  the 
top  of  the  secondary  bank  eighteen  feet  higher.  Both  bridges  are  triumphs  of 
engineering  skill,  and  structures  of  immense  strength  and  stability ;  yet  so  light  and 
elegant  is  their  design,  so  graceful  and  picturesque  their  effect,  as  they  hang  above 
the  stream,  apparently  poised  in  air,  that  they  are  worthy  of  the  beautiful  river  they 
embrace. 

Adjoining  the  railway  bridge  is  the  town  of  Niagara  Falls  (formerly  Clifton),  an 
important  railway  depot,  picturesquely  built  on  the  bank  of  the  river;  its  pretty  little 
Episcopal  church  standing  almost  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff.  Many  pretty  suburban 
villas,  and  handsome  houses  with  beautiful  pleasure  grounds,  ornament  its  environs. 

Below  the  foaming  basin  of  the  cataract,  the  river,  now  running  at  right  angles 
with  its  former  course,  flows  down  the  deep  gorge  it  has  made  for  its  passage  through 
a  wall  of  perpendicular  rock,  which  towers  above  the  stream  from  two  to  three  hun- 
dred feet  in  height.  Bttween  the  two  suspension  bridges  the  water  averages  a  hundred 
feet  deep,  and  beneath  it  lies  a  mass  of  fallen  rock  and  dSn's  of  equal  depth.  Here 
the  chasm  is  from  twelve  hundretl  to  eight  hundred  feet  wide,  but  it  narrows  to  half 
that  width  below  the  railway  bridge.  For  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half — the  ilistance  be- 
tween the  two  bridges — it  runs  in  smooth  and  even  llow,  its  dark-green  surface 
reflecting  its  banks,  woodeil  on  the  Canada  side,  as  in  a  mirror,  and  scarcely  a  ripple 
indicating  the  fierce  current  below.  .\  little  al)ove  the  railway  bridge  the  channel  con- 
tracts, forming  a  narrow  curvi;  with  a  rapid  descent,  antl  the  ri\er,  which  just  before 
seems  languidly  gliding  on,  as  if  (;.\hausted  with  the  shock  and  concussion  of  its  great 
fall,  smlilenly  leaps  into  passionate  life  again,  and  ilashes  on  in  the  wilil  tumult  of 
the  whirlpool  rapids.  The  depth  of  the  river  at  the  spot  where  these  rapids  begin  has 
been  couiputetl  at  two  hundrtiil   and   ten   feet. 

A  (juarter  of  a  mile  lower  down  is  the  whirlpool,  a  sccMie  of  e.xtraortlinary 
beauty  and  attraction.  .\s  the  river  approaches  this  place,  its  rapid  descent,  anti  the 
narrowni'ss  of  its  curved  and  rocky  bed,  force  the  stream,  which  here  runs  at  the  rate 
of  twentN-seveii  miles  an  hour.  Into  a  |)iletl-u])  ridge  of  water,  from  which  li(|uid  jets 
and  cones,  often  rising  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet,  are  thrown  into  the  air.  Mere 
the  river's  course  is  again  changed,  and  it  makes  an  abrupt  turn  to  the  right,  while  the 
strength  and  violence  of  its  current,  as  it  sweeps  round  the  cliff  on  the  Americai;  side, 
produces  so  strong  a  reaction  as  to  |)r(;ss  part  of  the  stream  into  a  recess  or  liasin  on 
the  Canadian  shore,  the  struggling  and  counter-working  currents  thus  forming  the 
great  vortex  of  the  whirlpool.  Hut  it  is  a  hidiU'n  vortex  ;  and  the  contrast  between 
this  lovely  little  lakelet,  calm  and  smooth  as  a  mirror,  e.xct'pl  for  a  few  swirls  of  foam 
at  its  outer  edges,  as  it  lies  clasped  in  the  embrace  of   its  encircling  and  richly-wooded 


I70 


PIL  7  Y  RESQ  UE   SPO  TS 


cliffs,  ami  the  furious  wiiite-tossinj;  rapids  from  wiiicli  it  s(;(!ins  si)  iiiiraciilousl)'  to  liavt- 
escapc;tl,  ackis  tiiu  ciiarms  of  surprise;  and  niystcr\-  to  its  (■.\(iuisitc  itcauty.  Nor  is  its 
witcliiii!4  spell  marred  by  any  incongruous  surroundinj^^s.  It  lies  in  a  loneh'  and  quiot 
spot,  i,nrdled  liy  rocky  walls  and  shadowinL,^  trees  ;  antl  is  almost  vj(|ually  lovely  at 
every  season  of  the  year.  It  is  beautiful  when  its  lianks  are  dressed  in  the  fresh, 
transparent  j^nx'en  of  spring-  leaves;  when  they  wi'ar  the  rich  foliage  of  summer,  or 
are  robed  in  the  brilliant  tints  of  autumn  ;  ami  perhaps  even  more  beautiful  when 
onl\-  the:  sombre  hues  of  the  dark  pint's  and  cedars  an;  rellecled  on  its  gleaming  sur- 
face in  winter,  or  when  their  branches  are  latlen  with  siiow-wr(;aths,  or  glittering  with 
fringes  of  silvery  frost.  As  we  lirst  look  at  it,  it  seems  an  eml)lt,'m  ol  ])eace  after 
tumult,  calm  after  strife,  but  as  we  continue  to  gaze,  the;  still,  tlark-gr(;en  water  takes 
another  aspect;  strangeU'  gyrating  circles  rise,  ami  spreail  and  vanish,  antl  reappear 
again,  signs  of  the  mysterious  cur'-ents  b(;neath.  I'^x'erything  which  comes  within  reach 
of  these  resistless  currents  is  caught  ami  dr.iggetl  into  the  vortex  below,  hekl  there 
for  a  while,  ami  then  thrown  to  the  surface,  where  it  is  whirled  slowly  and  ceaselessly 
round  and  round.  Trees  blown  into  the  river,  logs  from  broken  rafts  carried  over  the 
cataract,  a  dead  birti,  or  an  ear  of  Indian  corn,  are  ;dl  drawn  out  of  their  course 
down  the  stream,  and  pen-form  their  strange  rotatory  penance  for  days  and  even 
weeks  before  they  are  released  from  the  jjool.  Here,  if  ever,  emerge  the  bodies  of 
those  unfortunate  ones  who  ha\e  gone  over  the  Tails,  and  here  they  are  found, 
extricated  from  their  weird  dance  of  dt;ath,  and,  if  not  claimed  by  friends,  given 
charitable    burial. 

Between  the  whirlpool  and  Oueenston  lies  thi-  wildest,  most  solitary,  and  most 
pictures([ue  part  of  the  river,  though  a  part  quite;  unkne)wn  tej  fame,  ami  never  visited 
b\  tourists.  Here  the  solid  wall  o{  rejck  which  hems  the  river  in  on  the  American 
side,  and  which  rises  three  hunelreel  feet,  is  e.\treme;ly  grand  and  striking,  though  the 
Canadian  shore  is  much  me)re;  beautifid  from  its  more  varied  forms  anel  richer 
masses  of  foliage.  Its  gracefully-re)uneleel  heights,  ne)w  stretching  their  spurs  into 
the  river's  bed,  now  retreating  from  some  lovely  little  ce)ve,  inle;t,  e)r  eelely,  and  thickly 
wooded  all  the;  way,  makes  the>  finest  possible  contrast  to  the.-  lje)ld,  perpendicular 
American  cliff,  almost  bare,  but  for  the  scanty  fringes  eif  pines  and  ceelars  which  here 
and  there  cling  to  the  water-worn  rifts  that  bre;ak  its  red  ami  green  and  blue;-l)lack 
precipice,  and  stretch  down  te)  mee't  the;  white;  fe)am  e)f  the'  rapiels  that  curdles  re)und 
its  base.  On  the  Canaelian  bank,  space  for  a  military  re)ael  has  l)e;(;n  reserved  and  kept 
free  from  all  buildings,  ami  those  whei  fe)lle)w  its  windings,  some  ela\-  in  leafy  Jime  e)r 
golden  October,  till  the'  path  turns  e)ul  at  the;  fe)ol  e)f  Hrock's  MonunuMit,  a!)ove  Oueens- 
ton, will  be;  re'wareled  by  a  succession  of  love;ly  pictures,  changing  with  every  benel  of 
the  winding  river.  Especially  fre)m  the;  rocks,  which  project  over  the  bank,  where  the 
underlying     shale  and    sandstone    have  crumbled   away,    and    which    eventually  must   be 


ckly 
cular 
icre 
lack 
und 
ccpt 
2    or 

of 

the 

b<- 


173 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


precipitated    into    the  chasm  as  Table  Rock  has   berjn,  the    most    magnificent    views    up 
and  down  the  river  are  presented. 

Geologists  tell  us  that  it  must  have  taken  the  river  more  than  seventy  thousand 
years  to  excavate  the  chasm,  seven  miles  in  length,  through  which  it  runs  from  the 
Falls  to  Queenston ;  and  the  rock  formations  give  evidence  that  not  only  at  Queens- 
ton,  but  at  places  farther  up,  the  cataract  was  held  for  ages  before  it  wore  away 
its  barriers,  one  after  the  other,  till  it  reached  its  present  site.  Just  below  the  whirl- 
pool, a  great  promontory  or  spur  of  rock  stretches  far  across  the  bed  of  the  river, 
which  sweeps  round  it  in  a  confined  and  crooked  channel.  Here,  we  are  told,  the 
hard,  compact  rock  kept  the  cataract  for  centuries.  Lower  again,  opposite  the  cavern 
on  the  American  side,  called  the  Devil's  Hole,  the  Canadian  cliff  again  juts  promi- 
nently out,  and  the  river  makes  another  bend,  so  closely  hemmed  in  on  either  side  that, 
looked  at  from  the  bank,  its  course  is  completely  hidden.  Between  these  two  head- 
lands lies  a  beautiful  little  glen,  a  hundred  acres  in  extent,  marked  on  the  boundary 
survey  of  181 5  as  "Foster's  Glen."  No  doubt  it  was  excavated  and  overflowed  by 
the  river  when  its  waters  were  pent  in  by  the  lower  promontory  ages  ago,  and  left 
dry  as  the  stream  subsided  into  its  present  channel.  Lying  under  the  cliffs  which 
project  picturesquely  above  it,  richly  wooded,  interspersed  with  rocky  mounds,  leafy 
dells,  and  moss-grown  hollows,  shut  in  by  great  lichen-covered  rocks,  this  tiny  glen  is 
a  perfect  epitome  of  wild  natural  beauty.  Only  accessible  tiy  a  winding,  precipitous  path 
from  the  cliffs  above,  sheltered  by  its  lofty  banks  and  embowering  trees,  and  kept  fresh 
and  green  in  the  heats  of  summer  by  the  moisture  from  the  river,  verdure  lingers  here 
nearly  all  the  year  round,  antl  its  temperature  in  winter  is  almost  as  mild  as  if  it 
looked  up  at  a  southern  sky.  Beautiful  even  in  winter,  tliis  favoured  spot,  in  spring, 
is  a  perfect  paradise  of  wild  llow(;rs  and  l)lossoming  shrubs.  Its  rocks,  worn  into 
caves  and  grottoes  by  the  water  whicii  once  covered  them,  arc  hung  with  graceful 
tapestry  of  ferns,  mosses,  and  plants  ;  even  tail  trees  grow  on  their  tops,  ami  simkI  tlown  a 
maze  of  tangled  roots  to  reach  the  c;arth  below.  Rare  and  lovely  shrubs  and  tribes 
flourish  here  uncared  for  and  unheeded,  and  ferns  of  every  variety  grow  in  \.\\v.  most 
lavish  profusion.  At  one  extremity  of  the  glen  the  river  has  formed  a  charming  little 
eddy,  smooth  and  clear  as  glass,  where  fish  are  caught  with  hook  and  line ;  at  the 
other,  a  miniature  bay  lies  within  the  rocky  cape  that  encloses  it  with  a  l)each  of 
rounded  pebbles,  on  which  the  river,  torn  and  tortured  by  the  rocks  that  oi)struct  its 
way,  dashes  and  breaks  like  the  waves  of  the  sea.  Fish  abound  in  ihi-s  part  of  the 
river,  and  are  speared  as  they  swim  over  the  stones  in  bits  of  cpiiet  water  outside  the 
never-ceasing  tumult  of  the  rapids.  .Sturgeon,  sometimes  weighing  nearly  a  hundred 
pounds,  pass  down  the  Falls  without  injury,  and  meet  their  fate  here  or  at  Queenston. 
Birds  of  every  species  haunt  the  glen,  and  many  small  wild  creatures  inhabit  it,  but 
nothing    more    mischievous    than    a    skunk    or    a    raccoon — the    enemies   of    the    farmer's 


OF   THE  NORTH                                                 173 

lews    up                             poultry     and    Indian    corn — is,     with     one    noticeable 

exception,    to    be    found.       Rattle- 

snak(!s,  which    Father   Henne- 

housand 

pin  says  had  their  dens  about 
the   cataract    when    he    visited 

rom    the 

Queens- 

Mrafel 

it,   i)ut    which    are    never  seen 

e    away 

■H^r 

tiiere   now,  still   survive  among 

e    wiii  ri- 

^^|lA 

the     cavernous     rocks      along 

le   river, 

^BBni^                    ^.  .^^^jtfk^ 

the  river,   and  are  occasionally 

old,  the 

^^^^HBI              ^:^^H[^H 

met  with.       A    full-grown    yel- 

cavern 

low     and     black      rattlesnake. 

promi- 

'/j^^^^^Hp^:    "''<^     '        ' 

four    or    live     feet    long,     and 

de  that, 

as  thick  as  a  man's  wrist,  with 

1 

o  head- 

1  • 

bright-yellow      horny      armour 

3undary 

t'\                          ->•"■' 

underneath,     and    ornamented 
on  the  back  with  a  variegated 

ved    by 

ind  left 

■   '^fM^m:^ 

pattern    of    l^lack     and    gold. 

s  which 

erecting   its    flat,  yellow  head. 

',    leafy 

-'  -<^^'%^^  'ih 

its  eyes  gleaming    like   sparks 

<^len   is 

■  M^'^tS^K^-'  ■ 

of   fire,    darting    out    its    slen- 

us path 

^^^^^^C^~  '■'-'--  -^ 

der    black    tongue,   its    rattles, 

t  fresh 

i^i^™^:^^  ' 

ten,   twenty,   or  even   more,   in 

s    here 

..J^wQfMM: 

number,      vibrating      violently 

s    if    it 

with  a  loud,  whizzing,   strange- 

spring, 

^^Hi^^^^'^Li^ifl^^HHI 

ly-stinging  and  piercing  sound. 

1    into 

K^^BiHL^..fa^i^^^^^Mif''''4^H 

as  it  rises  to  strike,  is  a  sight 

•accfui 

at  once  horrible  and  beautiful. 

Dwn   a 

^^^MMM^a||i 

I'ortunately,  these  snakes  are 

t  rees 

extremely    sluggish     in     their                              i 

most 

habits,  never  bite  except  when 

little 

made  angry  or  stepped  upon. 

il  the 

^^t^^    '^^^I^^I^I^^^^^^^^^^^HPKaH^^^B^H^^^v^^^^Hn^^HHSnM^fiHKkv/^  .* 

and    even   when    attacked  will 

h    of 

always    at     first     attempt     to 

:l    its 

(escape.       If  seen,   they  are  in- 

1"   the 

j^^^^r^-^     '■       "^  "^"-^''^^^^m,,^ 

variably     pursued    and     killed. 

•   the 
id  red 

antl     will     probaI)ly    soon     die 

RAVINE     NKAR     WHIRI.I'OOL. 

out    of    this    district,   as    they 

ston. 

have    out    of    other    parts    of 

but 

1 

< 

"anada.       Other  wild    creatures,  with    a    beauty  not  h 

orriil  and    baleful  like  that   of    the                              - 

ner  s 

r 

attlcsnake,    but    ideally  graceful  and  majestic,  the    ea 

ole    and   the  swan,   once    inhabi«^ed 

174 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


V.   tl 


the  river  and  its  vicinity.  Before  the  War  of  1812  swans  made  their  nests  ahove  the 
rapids,  and  eagles  built  their  eyries  close  to  the  cataract  ;  but  durin^^  the  war  they 
all  disappeared,  and  have 
never  since  returned  to 
dwell  in  their  old  haunts. 
Three  miles  below  the 
Falls,  on  the  American 
side,  is  the  Devil's  Hole, 
a  cavern  in  tiie  cliff  up- 
wards of  a  hundred  feet 
in  depth,  above  which  a 
stream  called  the  Bloody 
Run  falls  down  into  the 
river.  The  stream  owes 
its  unlovely  name  to  the 
surprise  and  slauijhter, 
by  Indians,  in  1763,  of  a 
party  of  English  soldiers, 
escorting  some  provision 
trains  sent  from  Fort 
Niagara  to  Fort 
Schlosser.  Many 
Indian       legends 


THE     WUIKl.HOOL, 
i-'rom  American  side. 

are  connected  with  this  place, 
and  when  La  Salle  was  building  his  brig- 
antine,  the  Gi-iffui,  at  Cayuga  Creek,  he 
was  taken  to  consult  its  oracles  by  the 
famous  Iroquois  chief,  Gironkouthie.  On 
entering  the  cave  he  heard  a  voice  issuing 
from    its    depths,    predicting    for    him    an  early   death    by    treacherous    hands,  if  he    did 


OF   run  NORTH 


175 


ssuinjT 
le    did 


not  give  up  his  intended  voyage.  But  though  it  is  said  that  La  Salle  tied  from  the 
cave  on  hearing  this  mysterious  voice,  he  was  not  to  be  deterred  from  his  schemes  of 
exploration,  and  in  the  end  met  the  doom  the  spirit  of  the  cave  had  foretold.  A 
few  years  ago  this  cavern  was  occupied  by  a  desperate  gang  of  coiners,  who  calculated 
on  its  evil  reputation  to  protect  them  from  disturbance ;  but  after  repeatedly  baffling 
the  detectives,  the  leaders  were  captured  and  the  gang  broken  up.  I'rom  Lewiston  to 
the  side  chasm  at  the  Devil's  Hole,  a  railroad  track  has  been  cut  on  the  face  of 
the  cliff,  and  it  is  rather  a  sensational  sight,  looking  from  the  opposite  bank,  to 
see  the  cars  slowly  gliding  on  an  almost  imperceptible  line  along  the  bare  side  of  the 
precipice  two  hundred  feet  above  the  gorge  through  which  the  river  roll.s,  and  then 
vanishing,  as  if  by  magic,  where  the  track  turns  off  at  the  chasm. 

Dashing  through  the  deep  carton  it  has  made  for  its  course,  the  river  rushes 
on  in  wild  waves  and  torrents  of  foam  over  and  round  the  rocks  which  stem  its 
way,  and  here  and  there  show  their  heads  above  the  fierce  current,  till  it  nears  the 
village  of  Queenston.  Here  there  is  a  great  escarpment  in  the  rocky  ridge  through 
which  the  river  has  cut,  the  cliffs  fall  back,  and  Niagara,  so  long  straitened  and 
obstructed  '::  its  passage,  spreads  into  the  broad  expanse  of  Queesnton  Bay,  half  a 
mile  in  width.  Rising  again,  the  ridge  on  the  left  bank  ascends  to  a  lofty  and 
beautifully-wooded  height.  Beneath  lies  the  village  of  Queenston,  named  after  Queen 
Charlotte,  the  grandmother  of  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria.  Here,  in  the  early  morn- 
ing of  October  13,  181 2,  a  strong  force  of  American  troops  crossed  the  river  in 
boats  to  take  possession  of  Canada.  Climbing  the  heights  above  Queenston,  they 
found  themselves  gallantly  confronted  by  a  few  British  soldiers  and  Canadian  volun- 
teers, and  here  the  heroic  Brock,  conspicuous  by  his  tall  stature  and  daring,  was 
shot  down  as  he  led  his  handful  against  the  invaders.  In  this,  their  first  battle, 
the  Niagara  men  showed  the  courage  and  determination  with  which,  to  the  end  of  the 
war,  they  defended  the  land  they  had  won  from  the  forest,  and  covered  with  happy 
homesteads,  fruitful  farms,  and  prosperous  villages ;  and  the  success  of  that  day, 
though  dearly  purchased  by  the  loss  of  their  gallant  young  general,  gave  them  a 
proud  consciousness  of  their  power  to  preserve  and  protect  their  country  which  never 
afterwards  deserted  them.  On  the  summit  of  the  heights,  made  glorious  by  the 
battle,  Canada  has  erected  a  monument  to  the  hero  so  much  beloved  and  so 
deeply  lamented.  A  graceful  column  supports  a  statue  of  Brock  in  uniform,  one 
hand  resting  on  his  sword,  the  other  extended  as  if  encouraging  his  soldiers.  Column 
and  statue  measure  216  feet  from  the  ground,  and,  with  the  height  of  the  cliff 
on  which  they  stand,  make  an  elevation  of  750  feet  above  the  river.  The  monument 
is  surrounded  by  forty  acres  of  ornamental  grounds ;  the  entrance  gates  are  of 
wrought  iron,  with  cut  stone  piers,  surmounted  by  Brock's  family  arms,  and  there  is 
a  pretty  stone    lodge    for  the  care-taker  of  the  place.     Visitors    from    Queenston    ascend 


176 


PICTUKLSQL  Ji  s/nrrs 


l>- 


UN      Till':     PATH     lU     WIIIKLI'OOI.. 


OF   THE  NORTH 


177 


-«^: 


to  thi!  ^atus  by  a  stoep  wiiuliiij^  road,  thickly  shaded  at  each  side  by  red  cedars,  whose 

unfadinjf  verdure  and  aro- 
matic frajfrance  arc  in  l^eep- 
inj^-  witii  all  the  sinj,uilar]y 
I)ictures(iiie  and  appropriate 
surroundings  of  the  hero's 
tomb. 

The  i;a]lery  at  the  to|)  of 
the  nioiiunieiit  is  reacheil 
1)\-  an  inner  stone  staircase 
of  235  steps,  lighteil  on  the 
w.'iy  up  by  looplioles  in 
the  tlutinj,^  of  the  column, 
and  above  by  small  circular 
windows,  from  which  a 
mai^niticent  panoramic  view 
is  to  i>e  had.  Close  be- 
iieatii,  its  houses  clustering 
round  the  river,  lies  the 
village  of  Oueenston,  its 
i^M'oups  of  ancient  weejjing 
willows  still  seeiniiii,''  to 
mourn  the  dead  hero  whose 
statue  looks  tlf)wn  on  them, 
and   to  ivhose   memory    the 


(Jueeiiston       peop 


have 


TMi.    ki\i;k    abo\'i-;    u  iuki-Pooi. 


erected  a  pretty  church, 
with  a  handsome  stained- 
i^lass  window,  presented  by 
the  \'()rk  N'olunteers  —  a 
ijallant  corps  made  famous 
by  Brock's  last  words : 
"  I'ush  on,  brave  York 
Volunt<M'rs ! "  The  American  villaj^e  of  1  .ewiston  stands  on  the  opposite  shore, 
and,  from  the  jjorj^e  above,  the  river  comes  foamin<^  down,  to  find  its  tumultuous 
struj^gles  ended  in  the  calm  expanse  of  the  beautiful  bay  into  which  it  spreads 
itself  smooth  as  a  mirror,  sweeping  on  in  serene  grandeur  to  blend  its  waters  with 
the  waves  of  Lake  Ontario.  At  the  mouth  of  the  river,  seven  miles  off,  is  the 
famous  old    town  of    Niagara,   with    Fort   Mississauga,  and  the   grass-grown    ramparts  of 


178 


lUCTURESQ UE   SPO  TS 


I'ort  George,  rising  on  the;  lake;  sliore.  At  the  extremity  of  tlic  point,  stretching 
out  from  tile  Amcriran  side,  tlie  while  wails  of  l'"ort  Niagara  are  conspicuous.  I'ar 
away  to  tlie  edge  of  llie  horizon  gleams  the  hil<e ;  and  on  clear  days  the  city  of 
Toronto,  thirty-eight  mik;s  distant,  and  its  shipping,  can  l)e  ihscerned.  '\v\\  miles 
west  of  (Jueenston  the  s[)ires  of  St.  Catharim^s  rise  into  the  air ;  and  the  "  silver 
streak"  of  the  Welland  Canal  may  l)e  traceil  to  Port  Dalhousie,  where  ships  enter  it 
from  Lake  Ontario.  Within  these  points  of  view  lies  a  rifhly-cultivated  countrv-  lovely 
in  sirring  with  the  pink  and  white  blossoms  of  peach  and  apple  orchards,  the  tlelicate 
green  of  young  leaves,  and  the  ileeper  verdure  of  fn^lds  of  wheat  shooting  into  lu.\uri 
ant  growth  after  their  wintry  sleep  ;  and  glorious  in  autunm  with  fields  of  red  aiul 
golden  maize,  and  \ellow  pumpkins,  with  apple  orchards  huk'ii  with  ripe  fruit,  and  with 
all    the    hrilli.aiu    hues    of  dving  fori'st  leaves,    every   leaf  hurning    in   the    flames  of    slow 


i'..\i  r   oi'    riiK    Kivi:u    ikum    w  iiiKi.riMJi.. 


deca\'   with   its   own    tint   .liui   shade   of     beauteous    blight,   .uul    all     blended    together    in   a 
rainb^;..-like   .adian'c  of    colour. 

Geolo'iy  shows  that  at  a   reir.ote  epoch    the    ridge  at   (Jueenston   was  the   margin   of 


■r    in  a 


ijfin   of 


OF    THE   NORTH 


179 


i  i 


1 80 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


T 


an  ocean,  that  at  a  later  period  it  formed  the  boundary  of  Lake  Ontario,  now  seven 
miles  away  ;  and  that  there  the  great  cataract  of  Nia^^ara  took  its  first  leap  from  the 
heights.  Coming  down  from  these  far  distant  ages  to  our  own  century  and  the  early 
history  of  Upper  Canada,  we  find  Oueenston  a  trading  and  military  depot  of  some 
note  ;  but  the  opening  of  the  Welland  Canal  destroyed  its  importance  in  this  respect, 
and  checked  its  prosperity.  It  is  now  a  preternaturally  quiet  little  village,  lying  asleep, 
as  it  seems,  in  the  lap  of  one  of  the  loveliest  landscapes  in  the  world.  The  first 
suspension  bridge  over  the  Niagara  River  was  erected  at  Queenston  in  1856,  for  foot 
and  carriage  passengers,  but  a  great  ice-jam,  which  occurred  ten  years  after,  broke  its 
wire  cables,  and  before  they  were  properly  replaced  a  wind-storm  of  unusual  violence 
completed  its  destruction. 

From  Queenston  to  Niagara  town  the  broad  river  (lows  gently  on  i)etween  banks 
of  red  argillaceous  strata  striped  with  green.  Thi;  banks  rise  from  forty  to  fifty  feet 
in  height,  shaded  on  the  Canadian  side  by  magnificent  tre(;s,  and  the  graceful  bends 
and  wide  reaches  of  the  stieam  give  a  series  of  charming  pictures  all  the  way  to 
the  lake.  Especially  attractive  is  the  scene  in  approaching  Oueenston  from  Niagara, 
the  lofty  heights  coming  gradually  into  view,  now  standing  out  as  if  to  close  all 
farther  passage,  now  slowly  receiling  as  the;  river  winds  about,  and  then  again 
advancing  till  the  lovely  expanse;  of  Oueenston  Hay,  guarded  by  the  cliff  on  which 
Brock's  graceful  monument  stands,  opens  fully  out,  and  satisfies  the  beholder's  expec- 
tations in  a  perfect  climax  of  beauty.  The  drive  along  the  river's  bank  between 
Queenston  and  Niagara  is  charming.  On  one  side  of  the  road  the  bank  sweeps  clown 
to  the  water,  clothed  with  all  that  splendid  variety  of  woodland  foliage  which  is 
specially  characteristic  of  the  woods  of  Western  Canada,  and  tlie  river  Hows  on  in  gentle 
majesty,  retlecting  in  the  distance  the  red  hue  of  the  American  bank  ami  the  hor.ses  and 
trees  on  the  level  above  ;  on  tlie  other  side  of  the  road  arc  comfortable  farm  liwellings 
with  orchards  and  vineries,  succeeded,  as  we  near  Niagara,  by  handsome  houses  with 
borderiiig  lawns  and  gnrd(Mis  where,  in  spring  and  early  summer,  blossoming  trees  and 
shrubs  overhang  tiic  railings  and  fences,  antl  all  the  flowers  of  the  season  show  their 
loveliness  in  a  blaze  of  brilliant  colours.  .\  little  way  from  liie  town,  the  decaved 
trunk  ()(  ^iw  old  tree  was  for  many  years  shown  as  the  remains  of  the  "  hollow  beech 
tree "  on  whicli  Moore  wrote  Iiis  i)allad  of  "  The  Woodpecker "  ;  l)ut  jjarlly  from  natu- 
ral decay,  and  partly  because  bits  were  carri(.'d  away  by  relic-lovers,  every  vestige  of 
tile  old   tr-e  has   disappeared. 

The  town  of  Niagara  is  built  on  a  rounded  |)oint  stretching  into  Lake  Ontario, 
where  the  Niagara  River  (lows  into  it.  l"",ntering  the  town  by  tiie  river  road  we  pass 
through  a  grove  of  okl  oak  trees,  succeeded  by  a  natural  plain,  or  "  opening,"  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  in  extent,  its  grassy  surface  ke])t  closely  cropped  i)y  grazing  rattle, 
and  only  broken  here  and  there  by  groups  of    magnificent  old  thorn  trees.     This  plain, 


now  seven 

from  the 

the    early 

t  of    some 

is  respect, 

ng  asleep, 

The    first 

>,  for  foot 

broke   its 

violence 

ien  banks 
fifty  feet 
fill    bends 
e    way  to 
Niajrara, 
close    all 
en    atji^ain 
on    which 
s    expec- 
between 
-'ps  down 
wiiich    is 
in  ^-entle 
ses  and 
wcllint^s 
es    with 
rees  and 
w  their 
ecavetl 
w   beecli 
111   natu- 
tij^c    of 

)ni;ario, 
ve  pass 
three- 
rattle, 
i  plain, 


i    ' 
Vh: 


i^- 


OF   THE   NORTH  l8i 

always     called     the 
common,      was      re- 
served   for    military 
purposes.      On    one 
side    it    is    bounded 
by    the     road     lead- 
ing   into    the    town, 
bordered    by    villas, 
lawns,     and     shrub- 
beries ;  on  the  other 
by    the  blue  waters 
of     Lake     Ontario. 
For    many  years    it 
was      annually     the 
scene     of    a     great 
Indian  encampment, 
when    the    Six    Na- 
tions   came    to    re- 
ceive    their     yearly 
gifts       and      allow- 
ances.   Coming  over 
the     lake    in     their 
birch  -  bark    canoes, 
they    set     u[>     their 
lodges  on   the  com- 
mon, forming  a  wild 
and      p  ictu  rcscjue 
spectacle,     such     as 
can     be     seen      now 
only      in      the      far 
North-west. 

Near  the  mouth 
of  tlu;  ri\er  and 
opposite  old  Fort 
Niagara,  on  the 
American  shore, 
rise  some  grassy 
mounds,  the  remains 
of     the    enibankments    of     I*\)it     deorge,    and     in     the     enclosed    space    below     a    small 


l82 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


I  i 


fi 


remnant  of  the  old  fort,  built  of  massive  brick  work,  is  still  in  existence.  To  the  left 
of  Fort  George,  and  near  the  centre  of  the  point,  is  Fort  Mississauga,  erected  after 
the  retreat  of  the  .'\  niericans,  tiie  brick  stones  of  the  burned  town  having  been  used 
in  its  construction.  Tne  tower  still  stands,  though  dismantled,  with  its  surrounding 
block  houses,  but  its  iron-studded  gates  lie  open,  and  the  palisades  which  defended  its 
trenches  are  nearly  all  gone.  Cattle  and  horses  graze  peacefully  round  these  old 
memorials  of  wai ,  and  the  lake  bears  friendly  ships  from  shore  to  shore ;  but  the 
inhabitants  of  ?.'iagara  have  not  yet  forgotten  what  their  fathers  suffered  when,  in 
the  frost  and  sncw  of  )ecember,  1813,  helpless  women  and  little  children  were  turned 
into    the    street    -.id    their   houses  bur'icd  to    the   ground. 

On  the  American  point,  stretching  across  the  mouth  of  the  river,  is  the  old  l-'ort 
of  Niagara,  built  where  La  Salle  erected  a  palisaded  store-house  in  1678,  when  he 
was  building  the  (rr/'ffiii,  the  first  vessel,  except  an  Indian  birch-bark  canoe,  ever 
launched  on  Lake  Erie.  La  Salle's  stockade  was  afterwards  destroyed  by  che  Lidians, 
rebuilt  and  strengthened  by  the  brench  in  1687,  again  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  an  1 
again  rebuilt  by  the  French.  Finally,  a  <;tone  fort  was  ercctetl  o;i  the  old  site  by  the 
Marquis  de  la  JoncpiiiTe  in  1749,  which  was  taken  by  the  British  under  Sir  William 
Johnson  in  1759  It  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  British  till  the  end  of  tlvj 
American  War  of  Independence,  when  it  was  ceded  to  America.  It  was  taken  i)y 
the  British  and  Canadian  troopr,  in  the  W'ar  of  1812.  and  held  by  them  till  peace  was 
concluded.  The  town  and  peninsula  of  Niagara  were  settled  chielly  by  U.  E.  (United 
Empire)  Loyalists,  so  called  .rom  their  loyalty  to  the  British  Empire  at  the  time  of 
the  American  Revolution.  The  regiment  known  as  Butler's  Rangers,  famous  for  its 
fierce  and  reckless  daring  and  devotion  to  the  Rojal  cause,  was  disbanded  at  Fort 
Niagara  after  the  war,  and  nearly  all  crossed  over  to  Canada  and  settled  in  the  Ni- 
agara District,  receiving  grants  of  land  there.  Five  thousand  acres  were  allotted  to 
Colonel  Butler,  with  a  pension  of  two  hundred  pounds  a  year  ;  he  vvas  made  agent 
for  Indian  affairs  in  the  West,  and  held  other  important  otifices  in  Niagara.  He  was 
buried  in  a  clump  of  oaks  and  pines  on  part  of  his  property,  known  as  the  Butler 
farm,  aliout  a  mile  from  tlie  town,  and  in  the  Episcopal  church  a  tablet  has  been  put 
up  to  his  memory.  Many  other  U.  E.  Loyalists  refused  to  tai<e  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance to  the  American  government,  and  fled  to  Canada,  receiving  grants  of  land  in 
the  Niagara  District,  they  and  their  descendants,  almost  without  exception,  taking  a 
high  and  honourable  position  in  the   Province. 

In  a  few  years  the  village  cf  Niagara  beca.ne  a  place  of  considerable  import- 
ance. It  was  the  principal  depot  for  the  North-west  Fur  Company,  lor  Indian  sup- 
plies, and  for  all  goods  conveyed  by  the  Portage  road  round  tiic  Falls,  the  chief 
place  of  trade  for  Western  Canada,  and  an  important  military  station ;  and  when,  in 
1792,    Governor    Simcoe    chose    it    for     tiie   capita)    of    Upper    Canada,    it    was  expected 


OF   THE  NORTH 


183 


o  the  left 
cted  after 
)een  used 
rroundine 
ended  its 
these  old 
but  tile 
when,  in 
re    turned 

old  VoYt 
when  he 
loe,    ever 

Indians, 
ians,  an  \ 
e    by  the 

W  illiam 
d  of  tlvj 
taken  Ijy 
eace  was 

(United 

time  of 
>    for   its 

at    Fort 

th<     .N'i- 

Jttcil    to 

e    aj^ent 

ie  was 

Hutler 

!'en    [jut 
allei^n- 

and    in 

iking   a 

ini])ort- 
ui  sup- 
chief 
leii,  in 
;pected 


to  become  before  long  a  great  and  prosperous  city.  General  Simcoc  held  his  first 
Parliament  there,  and  a  French  traveller,  the  Duke  de  la  Rochefoucault  di  Liancourt, 
witnessed  and  has  described  the  opening  ceremonies,  conducted  amidst  curiously 
primitive  surroundings.  The  Governor,  his  council  and  the  representatives  of  the 
Province,  met  in  a  building  adjoining  Butler's  Barracks,  generally  used  for  church 
services,  but  finding  it  somewhat  hot  and  close  in  sunny  September  weather,  they 
adjourned  to  a  green  slope  near  by,  and  there,  under  the  shade  of  some  survivors  of 
the  forest  primeval,  with  a  flat  rock  for  a  table,  made  the  laws  and  arranged  the 
affairs  of  the  Province.  This  first  Parliament  of  Upper  Canada  carried  through 
many  measures  of  great  practical  utility  ;  and  it  must  always  be  remembered  to  its 
honour    that    it    gave   the    death-blow  to  slavery   as  a   legal    institution    in    the  Province, 

The  Upper  Canada  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  issued  in  the  Upper  Province, 
was  published  in  Niagara  during  General  Simcoe's  administration.  Fort  George  was 
built,  various  government  buildings  erected,  and  a  great  impetus  given  to  the  town. 
But  Simcoe  had  fought  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  never  could  forgive  the 
success  of  the  Americans ;  and  when  he  found  that  Fort  Niagara  was  actually  to 
be  given  up  to  them,  and  that,  if  he  made  Niagara  town  the  seat  of  government, 
he  would  be  compelled  day  after  day  to  see  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  where 
the  British  flag  then  waved,  he  became  disgusted  with  the  place,  and  removing  to 
York,  now  Toronto,  decided  on  fi.xing  the  capital  there.  This  was  a  terrible  blow 
to  Niagara,  but  it  brought  with  it  one  compensation  which  to  many  will  seem  far 
from  trivial.  General  Simcoe,  ignoring  all  the  claims  of  historic  and  poetic  feeling, 
and  we  may  add  of  euphony,  had  changed  the  name  of  the  town  from  Niagara  to 
Newark,  in  allusion  to  its  having  been  an  Ark  of  Safety  for  the  persecuted  U.  E. 
Loyalists  ;  and  it  was  so  railed  in  Acts  and  other  official  documents  for  a  short  time, 
but  the  old  nan-e  never  lost  its  hold  on  the  people,  and  in  1 798  it  was  formally 
reinstated  by  law.  In  this  respect  Niagara  is  more  fortunate  than  some  other 
places  in  the  Dominion,  which  have  lost  their  beautiful  old  Indian  names,  and  have 
had  others,   b>i  h  commonplace  and  inappropriate,  conferred  on  them. 

Though  the  honour  ot  being  the  capital  of  the  Province  was  taken  away  from 
it,  Niagara  still  retained  its  importance  as  a  military  station,  as  the  principal  depot 
for  goods  goiufj  U(  <ir  coming  down  Lake  Erie,  and  the  chief  centre  of  trade  for 
the  surrounding  d'  vrict  ;  bu;  a  blow  far  more  crushing  than  General  Simcoe's 
was  destined  to  fail  upon  it.  December  12th,  181 3,  it  was  set  on  fire  by 
order  of  the  American  commanding  ofificer,  General  McClure,  when  he  abandoned 
the  tovn,  of  which  he  had  for  some  time  ht^ld  possession,  and  retreated  across  the 
river  before  the  advance  of  .\\v  British.  The  inhabitants,  among  whom  were  hundreds 
of  women  and  childien,  were  only  allowed  hilf  an  hour  to  escape  from  their  houses, 
and    many  of    them    lingered    in    the    strev'ts    lu    watch,    with    such    feelings    as    may  be 


1 84 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


imati^ined,  the  clcstriiction  of  their  nnned  homes.  Tht;  little;  town  recoven^d  from 
this  terrible  calamity  with  extraordinary  rapidity,  hut  another  stroke  of  ill  fortune  was 
in  store  for  it.  The  Welland  ship-canal,  which  has  niven  such  commercial  advan- 
tatjes  to  Canada,  diverted  the  trade  of  the  Niatjara  peninsula  into  new  channels.  The 
town  of  St.  Catharines,  near  the  entrance  of  the  canal  from  Lak(;  Ontario,  suddenly 
sprang  into  heiny;,  and  became  the  business  centre  of  the  district,  throwinjr 
Niaj^ara  town  into  a  cold  shade,  from  wliich  it  has  not  \et  be(;n  able  to  enier_L;e. 
Lately,  however,  it  has  shown  siLjns  of  renewed  activity  ;  it  has  a  ship-yanl,  an  iron 
foundry,  and  two  or  three  lan^e  hotels,  aKva\  s  full  in  summer.  .Steamboats  run  luaween 
it  and  Toronto  twice^a  day;  and  its  healthful  ami  beautiful  situation,  the  pictures(|ue 
scener)'  in  its  neijj^hbourhood,  and  its  attractions  for  the  lovers  of  Ijoatini,'',  tishiui;^,  and 
wild-fowl  shootinj^,  make  it  a  popular  holiday  resort,  and  a  (K'li^httul  summer  residence. 
A  canal  from  it,  to  connect  with  the  Welland  Canal,  has  been  projected,  and  if  carried 
out,  we  may  hope  that  the  simshine  of  prosperity  may  beam  once  more  on  the  famous 
old  town.  The  Episcopal  church,  St.  Mark's,  first  built  in  1802,  has  many  interesting 
associations.  It  was  occupied  by  the  American  troops  when  they  held  the  place  in 
1813,  and  was  set  on  tire  with  the  rest  of  the  town.  The  both'  of  the  church  was 
burned  down,  but  rebuilt  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  the  venerable  old  tower,  which 
escaped  the  flames,  still  stands,  strongly  buttressed,  a  sacred  memorial  of  the  sufferings 
of  days  gone  by.  A  large  and  beautiful  burying-ground  surrounds  the  church,  shaded 
by  magnificent  old  trees.  It  is  crowded  with  stately  monuments  and  humbler  head- 
stones, and  the  graves  near  the  old  tower  lie  thick  and  close  together,  many  of  the 
tombstones  bearing  the  names  of  officers  and  militiamen.  When  the  American  soldiers 
were  quartere'  in  the  church,  they  cut  up  their  rations  of  meat  on  some  of  the 
great  flag-stones  which  covered  the  graves,  and  the  scars  and  chippings  made  by  the 
cleavers  can  still  be  plainly  seen.  Hut,  ha])pily,  the  verdure  of  many  springs,  the 
fading  leaves  of  many  autumns,  the  snows  of  many  winters,  have  covered  these  scars, 
and  healed  the  bitter  feelings  they  once  awakened  ;  l(;aving  only  a  generous  pride  in 
the  valour  and  fortitude    of    the    men  who   saved   the   independence  of  their  country. 

Where  the  road  known  as  Lundy's  Lane  approaches  the  village  of  Drummondville 
(lying  between  Queenston  and  Chippewa),  one  of  the  fiercest  battles  of  the  war  was 
fought.  A  piece  of  rising  ground,  close  to  the  village,  and  about  a  mile  from 
Niagara  Falls,  was  the  central  [)art  of  the  combat,  and  a  tower  or  "observatory," 
which  visitors  are  expected  to  ascend  for  the  view,  marks  the  place.  The  battle 
began  at  six  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  July  25th,  1814,  wiien  Ceneral  Sir  Cordon 
Drummond,  with  a  force  of  sixt(;en  hundred  British  and  Canadians,  encountered  five 
thousand  Americans,  under  General  Brown,  and,  as  the  sun  sank  in  the  western  horizon, 
the  cannon's  deadly  roar  mingled  with  the  sublime  voice  of  the  cataract.  The  light 
raged   with    unabated  vigour    and    determination    on    l)olh    sides    till    midnight,   when    the 


1 86 


PICTURESQ  UE  SPO  TS 


American  general,  finclin},^  that,  in  spite  of  some  temporary  successes,  all  his  efforts  to 
dislodge  the  British  from  their  position  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  were  fruitless,  gave  up 
the  contest.  "He  retreated,"  says  General  Drummond  in  his  despatch,  "with  great 
precipitation  to  his  camp  beyond  Chippewa,  burning;,  as  he  passed,  the  Hour  mills  at 
Bridgewater.  The  following  day  he  abandoned  his  camp,  threw  the  greater  part  of  his 
baggage,  equipage,  and  provisions  into  the  rapids  above  the  Falls,  and,  destroying  the 
bridge  over  the  Chippewa  River,  continued  his  retreat  to  T'ort  lirie  in  great  disorder." 
Lundy's  Lane,  extending  for  a  mile  to  the  west  of  Drummondville,  is  now  lined  on 
each  side  with  peach  orchards,  vineyards,  market-gardens,  and  the  neat  and  tasteful 
dwellings  of  their  owners.  The  village  lies  east  of  the  hill  where  the  brunt  of  the 
battle  was  borne ;  the  Falls  and  the  rapids  bordering  it  on  one  hand,  and  orchards, 
fiekls  and  beautiful  woodlands,   on   the  other. 

Another  battle-field,  neither  so  important  nor  so  fame  us  as  Lundy's  Lane,  ought 
never  to  be  forgotten  by  Canadians.  This  is  Beaver  Dams,  near  the  place  where  the 
town  of  ThoroKl  now  stands.  After  the  Americans  got  possession  of  I'^ort  George  and 
the  town  of  Niagara,  the  British  troops  fell  back  on  Hiirlington — now  Hamilton — and 
General  Vincent,  then  in  command,  advised  the  Canadian  militia  and  volunteers  to 
return  to  their  homes,  as  he  was  uncertain  whether  he  might  not  have  to  abandon  the 
peninsula  for  a  time,  and  retire  to  Kingston.  At  this  disheartening  crisis  the  Cana- 
dians remained  true  to  their  country,  and  continued  to  carry  on  a  guerilla  warfare 
against  the  invaders.  Merritt's  militia  regiment  of  Light  Horse,  with  some  other  mili- 
tiamen and  volunteers,  established  themselves  at  a  building  known  as  "  l)e  Cew's  stone 
house,"  converting  it  into  a  little  fortress,  from  whence  they  harassed  the  Americans, 
driving  off  their  foraging  parties,  and  intercepting  their  supplies,  with  such  success  and 
impunity  as  only  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  country  could  have  given  i\\v\w.  Colonel 
Boerstler  was  sent  from  Niagara  with  two  field-pieces  and  six  hundred  men  to.  break 
u[)  this  little  stronghold,  and  one  or  two  other  outposts  of  the  British,  who,  since  the 
decisive  battle  of  Stony  Creek,  were  moving  back  towards  Fort  George,  and  he  might 
have  succeeded  but  for  the  patriotic  syt'mt  and  bravery  of  a  woman.  Laura  Secord, 
the  young  wife  of  James  Secord,  a  militiaman,  lying  wounded  at  Oueenston,  saw  the 
American  troops  moving  from  Niagara,  and,  learning  their  destination,  set  o  it  at 
night,  and  walked  twenty  miles  through  the  woods  to  warn  the  little  band  at  the 
stone  house  of  Boerstler's  approach.  At  any  time  it  would  have  been  a  tlifficult 
journey,  but  in  war  time,  with  tlie  risk  of  meeting  some  savage  Indian  or  other 
lawless  marauder  in  the  lonely  woods,  only  a  woman  of  singular  energy  and  courage 
would  have  undertaken  it.  Mrs.  Secord,  however,  accomplished  it  in  safety,  and 
when  Colonel  Boerstler  arrived  at  Beaver  Uams  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he 
found  his  march  impeded  by  a  small  number  of  militiamen,  hastily  collected,  and  a 
party  of  Indians  led  by  their  chief,  young  Brant.      This    number,  altogether    about  two 


OF   THE  NORTH 


i8: 


luimlrcil,  scfiiKul  trt;l)U:d  when  scon  thrniiij;h  tlic  thick  foliii^n.'  of  tli(;  trees,  from  amoiij;' 
which  tliey  poured  volley  after  volley  from  their  muskets  on  the  sur|)risetl  and  bewildered 
Americans,  every  volley  accompanied  I)y  the  tierce  yells  of  the  Indians.  While  Boerst- 
ler  was  still  uncertain  whether  to  advance  or  retreat,  I'.nsii^n  iMtztjibbon,  with  forty 
soldiers,  the   onl)    British    troops   in   the   ni^ij^hbourhood,  arrived    at   the   spot,  and   took  in 


nd 

he 


PORT    DALIIOUSU;. 

the     situation     at     once. 

With  admiral  le  counii;*' 

and  coolness,   he  tii-tl    a 

white    handkerchief    on 

a    musket    and,   holdinj^r 

it    up.  advanced    alone,  calling-    on    the    enemv    to    lay   down    their    arms    and    surrender. 

upon    which    Colonel    Boerstler,    believinj^r    that    the    whole    British    army    were    in    front. 

surrendered    his  force   of  six   hundred   infantr\-,   ilftv   cavalr}-,   two   held-^tms,   and  a    stand 

of  colours,   to  the  youni^-  ensign   and   his  two   hundred  and  forty  men. 

When  ('xcavalions  w(;re  \)('\\\<^  made  for  th(t  Welland  Canal,  some  human  bones 
were  fouml  at  Bea\<'r  Dams  with  militia  buttons  and  scraps  of  military  accoutrements, 
wliich  showed  that  they  were  the  remains  of  Canadian  soldiers  icilled  in  the;  horht  which 
had  taken  place  there.  These  remains  were  collected,  enclosed  in  a  walnuv  casket,  and 
buried  whe"e  they  hail  been  found,  more  than  two  thousand  |)eople  assemblintj  to  wit- 
ness the  ceremony.  Over  tht;  spot  a  small  oranite  monument  was  placed,  with  the 
simple  inscription,    "  J^kavkr    Dams,   June   24th.    iSi^^." 

In  tiiese  peaceful  and  prosperous  days  the  iNiajjjara  district  is  covennl  with  pleasant 
homesteads,  thrivinj^'  villages,  and  busy  market  towns,  but  it  can  boast  of  only  one  city. 
This  is  St.  Catharines,  built  on  th'-  line  of  the  Welland  Canal,  three  miles  from  its 
port    of    entry    on     Lake    Ontario,    and    the    chief    shipping,    manufacturing,  and    trading 


1 88 


PiCTVRHSQUh:  sri ? ts 


THOROLD,  ON  OLD  WKLLAND  CANAL. 


emporium  of  the  peninsula.      Rather  oddly,   the  wives  of   three  prominent   landowners   in 
the    place — Colonel  John   Butler,  tin;  iionourable  Robert   Hamilton,    and  tlu^    honourable 
William   Hamilton    Merrirt^bore  the  name    of  Catiiarine,   and 
for  each  of  them  the  honour  of  havini^^  St.   Catharines  named 
after    her    has    been    claimed.      The    laml    on    which    the    city 
was  built  was  at  different  times  owned  by  the  men  mentiom-d, 
and  all  had    a  share    in  buildinor   up    St.   Catharines  ;     but    un- 
doubtedly   the    founder  of   its    com- 
mercial     prosperity      was      William 
Hamilton     Merritt,    who    first    con- 
ce'ved  the  project  of  a  canal  across 
the     peninsula,     antl     throu^^h     diffi- 
culties   and   discouragements,    wOiich 
only    the    most    indomitable    energy 
could   have    conquered,    made   it    an 
accomplisluxl    fact.      It     is     to    this 
great     work     that     St.      Catharines 
owes  its    rise    from   an    insignificant 
village  tr        '   isy  commercial    town. 
In  the  1  Canal   it  commands 

nnlimitt..  ^.,  .  unfailing  watcr-|)Ower, 
giving  rise  to  numerous  mills,  fac- 
tories, and  machine  works.  It  has 
extensive    ship-yards,    and    from    its 


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PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


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docks  vessels  that  have'  made  successful  voyages  to  Europe  have  been  launched.  Its 
railway-stations  and  ship-canals  give  it  facilities  for  carrying  on  trade  with  all  parts- 
of  the  world.  It  has  an  efficient  police  force  and  tire  company;  gas-works  which 
not  only  light  its  streets  and  puldic  buildings,  but  the  adjoining  banks  of  the  canal  ; 
and  a  system  of  water-works  supplied  from  a  reservoir  fed  b\-  the  pure;  water  of  "  De 
Cew's  Falls,"  four  miles  from  the  city.  K  has  man\  handsome  buildings;  a  court-house 
and  jail,  banks,  hospitals,  a  Masonic  Hall,  and  several  first-class  hotels,  a  public  school 
in  every  ward,  a  spacious  central  school,  a  well-equipped  collegiate  institute  of  the 
highest  rank  in  the  Province,  and  churches  of  every  religious  denomination.  Besides 
the  hotels,  there  is  a  sanitarium,  built  exijressly  for  invalids  coming  to  tr\-  the 
curative  efTects  of  the  St.  Catharines  mineral  springs.  -Scientific  analysis  shows  that 
these  springs  are  equal  in  medicinal  properties  to  an}-  of  the  CJerman  Spas;  and  their 
fame  brings  numbers  in  search  of  health  to  St.  Catharines  every  year,  especially 
from  tlie  southern  and  south-western  States,  where  it  is  known  as  the  Saratoga  of 
Canada. 

Port  Dalhousie,  on  Lake  Ontario,  three  miles  from  St.  Catharines  and  eleven  miles 
west  of  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara  River,  is  the  northern  port  of  entry  for  the  Wel- 
land  Canal  and  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Welland  Railway.  It  has  a  safe  harbour, 
where  vessels  may  find  refuge  in  all  weather,  and  in  summer  steamers  run  daily 
between  it  and  Toronto.  Port  Colborne,  on  Lake  PLrie,  twenty  niles  from  the  head  of 
the  Niagara,  is  the  southern  entrance  port  of  the  canal.  It  has  a  good  harbour,  is  the 
southern  terminus  of  the  Welland,  and  one  of  the  principal  stations  of  the  (iraiul 
Trunk  Railway.  Between  these  ports  of  entry  several  enterprising  ami  ])rosper()us 
villages  ha/e  sprung  up  along  the  canal.  Merritton,  Thorold,  Allanburg,  Port  Robin- 
son, and  Stonebridge,  are  all  places  of  busy  life  and  energy.  Welland,  the  chief  town 
of  Welland  County,  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  canal,  and  connected  by  a  handsome 
swing  bridge.  It  has  several  mills  and  factories,  handsome  churches,  a  high  school,  a 
court-house,  excellent  hotels,  and  stores  of  ev(;ry  variety;  and  it  publishes  two  news- 
papers. Close  to  the  town  is  the  large  fair-ground  of  the  county  agricultural  society, 
where  annual  shows  are  held. 

All  this  activit)',  energy,  and  prosperous  industry,  have  had  their  source  in  the 
Welland  Canal,  a  work  of  which  a  brief  descri])tion  has  yet  to  be  given.  Crossing 
the  peninsula  which  lies  between  Lake  Erie  and  Lake;  ( )ntario,  it  shades  the  mighty 
cataract  which  had  so  long  been  an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  navigation,  aiui  lorins 
the  missing  link  in  the  chain  of  na\igai)le  waters  from  Lake  Su])erior  to  the  sjreat 
river  St.  Lawrence,  in  whose  mighty  flood  of  mingled  streams  the\-  pass  on  to  the 
ocean. 

The   idea  of  this  great  work  was  first  conceived  by  Mr.    .Merritt,  during  the   War  of 
1S12,  when   a   militia  officer,   distinguished   for  courage  and  enterprise,   though    little   more 


Of^   THE  NORTH 


191 


than  a  boy,  he  let'    his    patrols  up  and  clown    the    frontier,     and    specubted    011    the    ad- 
vantages   such    a  means    of    transportinfj    troops    and    ammunition    throufjh    the     district 


NEAR     LOCK     No.    2,     OLD    CANAL. 

would  have  given  its  defenders.  After  the  peace,  he  became  engaged  in  large  busi- 
ness transactions,  and  the  commercial  value  of  an  unbroken  water-way  between  the 
two  lakes  was  forcibly  brought  before  him.  The  project  of  a  ship-canal  gradually  as- 
sumed a  practicable  shape  in  his  mind,  and  through  his  fixity  of  purpose  and  indomi- 
table   energy  a  company    was    formed,   aid    from     Government  obtained,    and   the  scheme 


oil-      I'CJKl       |i\l.l..)l'SII'. 


successfully   carried  out.      (Jn   the    ;otli   of   NovtMiiber,    1824,   the  first  sod  of  the   Welland 
Canal    w;is    turned,   and    umlcr    Mr.     .Merritt's    supervision    speedily    became    a    scciu-    of 


192 


PICTURESQ  UE  SPO  7  S 


Tin;     DKi;i'     CUT. 


active  industry.  "The  sharp  rattle  of  the  axes  hewintj  and  carvinjr  their  wav  throuirh 
the  old  woods,  the  unceasint,^  hanimerin>f  of  picks  on  the  hanks,  the  crash  of  falling;'  trees, 
mingled  occasionally  with  th(!  lond  explosion  of  tjunpowder,  broke  the  ancient  silence 
of  the  forest."  *  So  the  work  went  on,  and  in  \oveml)er,  io-q,  five  years  later,  almost 
to  a  day,    two    vessels  with   flaj^s  ilyin<x  passed  throiitrh   the  canal,    cheered    by    admirinjj 


*  Life  of  Mr.  Mi.RRnr. 


OF   THE  NORTH 


IQ3 


spectators.  Since  then  a  succession  of  enlargements  and  improvements  have  been 
made  in  the  canal,  and  in  1875  the  works  were  commenced  which  are  now  nearly 
completed,  and  which,  when  the  aqueduct  over  the  Chippewa  River  is  finished,  will 
make  it  one  of  the  best  constructed  and  most  efficient  achievements  even  tl  is  age  of 
engineering  skill  has  produced.  At  Port  Oalhousie,  its  port  of  entry  on  Lake  Ontario, 
and  Port  Colborne,  its  port  of  entry  on  Lake  Erie,  safe  and  commodious  harbours 
have  been  made,  protected  by  strongly-built  piers  stretching  between  two  and  three 
thousand  feet  into  the  lake  beyond  the  lines  of  the  harbours,  having  elevated  bea- 
cons erected  at  their  terminations.  The  difference  of  level  between  Lake  Ontario  and 
Lake  Erie  at  those  two  ports  is  in  ordinary  weather  about  327  feet,  and  this  is 
surmounted  by  twenty-five  lift-locks  built  of  solid  stone,  and  faced  with  cut-stone,  by 
which  the  water  is  carried  over  that  high  ridge  of  land  locally  known  as  "  the 
mountain."  Each  lock  is  270  feet  long  between  the  gates,  and  forty-five  feet  in 
width,  admitting  a  depth  of  fourteen  feet  of  water  on  the  sills.  The  gates  are  con- 
structed of  the  strongest  oak  and  ^)ine  timber.  The  prism  of  the  canal,  through 
its  long  straight  reaches,  has  a  width  of  a  hundred  feet  at  eighteen  inches  over  the 
bottom  line,  with  provision  for  a  depth  of  water  sufficient  to  allow  the  passage  of 
the  largest  vessels  that  navigate  the  lakes.  When  the  canal  was  first  made  it  was 
found  that  at  times  the  Chippewa  River  proved  inadecpiate  as  a  feeder,  and  a 
channel  to  serve  this  purpose  was  cut  from  Dunnville,  on  the  Grand  River,  to  Port 
Robinson,  a  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles.  This  channel  is  nt^vigable  all  the  way, 
and  a  branch  c.inal  connects  it  with  Port  Maitland,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  River, 
where  a  harbour  has  been  formed.  It  will  thus  always  remain  useful  as  a  branch  of 
the  main  canal,  but  since  the  new  improvements  have  been  made  the  water  supply 
can  at  all  times  be  drawn  from  Lake  Erie.  Besides  the  lift-locks  over  thj  mountain, 
there  are  guard  locks  and  double  gates  at  all  the  ports.  A  large  and  costly  aqueduct 
has  been  made  over  the  Chippewa  River  at  Welland,  and  at  Lyon's  Creek  a  culvert  of 
heavy  masonry  has  been  constructed.  Between  Port  Dalhousie  and  Port  Colborne 
twenty-four  bridges  cross  the  canal,  five  being  railway  bridges,  with  piers  and  abut- 
ments of  stone  masonry  ;  and  for  the  swing  bridges  the  latest  and  most  effective 
improvements  in  machinery  have  been  employed.  The  stone  used  in  the  canal  was 
taken  from  the  mountain  at  Oueenston  and  Thorold,  where  there  are  extensive 
quarries  of  an  excellent  grey  limestone  equal  to  .Aberdeen  granite.  All  the  countless 
works  and  operations  necessary  for  the  safetv  and  perfect  efficiency  of  the  canal 
have  been  conductcnl  in  the  most  solid  ami  permanent  manner,  and  it  is  calculated 
that  the  cost  will  not  be  less  than  sixlcL-n  millions  of  ilollars.  The  length  of  the  canal 
is  twenty-seven  miles,  and  its  |)resent  enlargement  allows  of  the  passage  of  vessels  of 
one  thousand   five  hundred   tons. 

Thus    the    enterprise    which    li.ul    its    inception,    as   we    have    said,    in    1824,    in    the 


144 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


modest  project  of  Mr.  Merritt  to  construct  a  canal  between  the  two  lakes  "four  feet 
deep,  seven  feet  wide  at  bottom,  nineteen  feet  wide  at  the  water  surface,  and  to 
accommodate  vessels  not  exceeding  forty  tons  burthen,"  has  been  brought,  in  its  exten- 
sively developed  form,  to  satisfactory  completion.  The  importance  to  commerce  of  this 
great  undertaking  can  hardly  be  over-estimated,  as  it  now  opens  a  water  highway  to 
the  west  not  only  for  all  the  trading  craft  of  Ontario,  Quebec,  and  the  Maritime 
Provinces,  but  even  for  the  sea-going  vessels  of  the  Old  World.  The  impetus  the 
canal  will  now  give  to  the  development  of  our  own  lake  trade,  and  the  advantages  it 
affords,  over  the  facilities  it  hitherto  offered  to  shippers  of  grain  from  the  great 
markets  of  Chicago  and  Uuluth,  in  effecting  a  continuous  and  speedy  transit  to 
the  sea,  will  be  obvious  to  every  one  who  gives  the  matter  a  thought.  Increased  depth 
of  water  in  the  canal  means,  of  course,  increased  carrying  capacity  and  increased 
tonnage  in  the  vessels  engaged  in  the  traffic.  This  is  important,  not  only  in  the 
matter  of  exporting  grain,  but  in  the  moving  of  such  heavy  merchandise  as  coal,  iron 
ore,  etc.,  which,  from  the  nature  of  this  trade,  wants  a  cheap,  through  transport  to 
tide-water,  with  the  minimum  of  obstruction,  inconvenience,  or  delay.  Canaling  as  a 
means  of  general  transportation  may  not,  with  the  facilities  which  the  railways  now 
offer,  be  able  to  maintain  the  supreme  position  it  has  occupied  in  x\\v  past.  The 
history  of  the  Erie  Canal  would  seem  to  emphasize  this  view.  But  in  the  case  of 
Canada,  with  her  enormous  water-system,  an  exception  must  be  made  ;  ami  no  means 
of  communication  is  likely  seriously  to  compete  with  the  mode  of  transit  which  is  the 
distinctive  feature  of  the  trade  of  the  Dominion.  This  the  successive  governments  of 
Canada  have  always  recognized  ;  and  hence,  among  the  public  works  necessary  to  the 
expansion  of  its  commerce,  as  a  statistical  writer  has  told  us,  "  none  occupy  a  higher 
or  more  important  place  than  the  canals,  which  have  been  constructed  for  the  improve- 
ment of  our  lake  navigation.  "  No  countrv  in  the  worltl,"  the  sann;  autliorit\-  goes  on 
to  say,  "can  show  a  more  elaborate  system  of  inland  navigation  than  Canada,  \oung 
as  she  is,  can  exhibit.  It  is  itself  a  forcible  illustration  of  the  public  spirit  wiiich  has 
animated  our  statesmen  during  the  past  forty  years.  These  w./iks  were  commenced  at 
a  very  early  period  in  the  history  of  the  commercial  progress  of  Canada,  and  were 
completed,  on  their  present  extensive  scale,  at  a  time  when  the  expenditures  required 
to  accomplish  the  object  seemed  altogether  excessive  when  comparcnl  with  the  actual 
revenues."  Speaking  of  the  topographical  features  of  our  canal  system,  the  writer  con- 
tinues :  "It  is  where  nature  has  been  most  capricious,  where  falls  and  rapids  awe  the 
spectator  by  their  tumultuous  rush,  that  we  now  see  the  evidences  of  nK)dern  enter- 
prise ;  where  the  Indian  in  old  time  portaged  his  canoe,  we  now  find  splendid  structures 
of  masonry,  illustrating  the  progress  of  engineering  skill,  and  the  demands  of  commer- 
cial enterprise  in  a  country  whose  total  population  in  the  beginning  of  the  century  was 
hardly  above  a  hundred  thousand  souls." 


OF   THE  NORTH 


195 


Few,  we  may  aiUl,  can  pnidict  the  volume  of  commerce  of  which  the  St.  Lawrence 
system  will  ultimately  become  the  channel.  The  great  lakes,  which  contain  fully  half 
the  fresh  water  on  the  globe,  drain  a  basin  of  400,000  square  miles,  the  trade  of  which, 
in  addition  to  that  of  the  vast  territory  in  the  North-west,  must,  to  a  great  extent,  be 
borne,  and  continue  to  be  borne,  on  its  waters.  With  this  fact  in  mind,  the  part  the 
Welland  Canal  has  to  play  in  this  magnificent  trade,  is  in  need  of  no  further 
illustration. 

Properly  speaking,  the  Niagara  district  is  confined  to  the  counties  of  Lincoln 
and  Welland.  This  famous  old  district  is  bounded  on  three  sides  by  the  waters  of 
Lake  Ontario,  Lake  Erie,  and  the  Niagara  River;  it  is  traversed  by  the  Chippewa 
River,  and  by  many  smaller  streams  or  "creeks,"  and  by  the  Welland  Canal; 
everywhere  it  is  intersected  by  railway  lines,  with  stations  at  or  near  each  town  or 
village,  so  that  every  farmer  has  quick  and  easy  communication  both  by  water  and 
land  with  all  parts  of  the  Dominion  and  the  United  .States.  Its  fertile  soil  is 
equally  well  adapted  for  grain  and   root  culture,   for  raising  stock,  or  for  dairy  purposes. 


LOCK     No.     2j,     THOKOI.n. 


Every  species  of   timber  grows  in   perfection.      Oaks  and   pines  have  been  cut  six  feet  in 
diameter  ;  the  oaks  measuring  from  seventy  to  eighty  feet  in  length  ;  the  pines  from  one 


r^ 


196 


PICTURESQUE   SPOTS 


I'URl      ROBINSON,     K.NI.AU(ii;i)     CANAL, 


hundred  to  oik,'  huiuln.'d  and  seventy-five,  and  as  straight  as  the  mast  of  a  ship.  A  few 
ma,Li;^nificent  l)lack  wahuits  still  remain,  I)iit  these  most  beautiful  and  valuable  trees  of 
the  Canadian  forest  have  been  ruthlessly  cut  down  everywhere,  with  that  reckless  dis- 
regard of  the  timber  wealth  of  the  country  so  common  in  Canatla.  In  Stamford  Park, 
once  the  favourite  summer  residence  of  Sir  Peregrine  Maitland,  a  former  governor  of 
Upper  Canada,  one  grand  old  walnut  measures  fourteen  feet  in  circumference  four  feet 
above  the  grouml,  its  branches  spreading  out  in  a  wide  umbragt^ous  canopy;  and  in 
other  places  huge  stumps  show  what  majestic  domes  must  once  have  towered  above 
those  foundations.  The  tulip-tree,  sometimes  calletl  the  tulip-poplar,  a  species  of 
magnolia,  is  a  common  forest  tree  in  this  district,  raising  its  graceful  pillar-like  stem, 
smooth  and  straight  as  a  dart,  sometimes  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  f('et,  i)caring  a 
crown  of  pale-green,  nearly  scpiare-cut  leaves ;  and  in  their  season  sulphur-coloured 
blossoms,  showing  rich  red  spots  at  the  base  of  their  tulip-shaped  cups.  The  red- 
mulberr)',  too,  grows  freely  in  the  wooils,  attaining  a  height  of  sixty  feet,  and  its  fruit 
only  requires  proper  cultivation  to  be  ecpial  in  size  and  (lavour  to  the  mulberry  of 
Europe.     In   this   favoured   region    Nature  is  lavish  of  her  most  delirious  fruits.     Not  only 


OF   THE  NORTir 


197 


r.j-f- 


A    WASTE     WKIK. 


apples,  pears,  plums,  cherries,  and  small  fruits  of  every  kind  j^row  in  rich  ahuml- 
ance,  but  quincfjs,  grapes,  UK-lons,  and  ahovi;  all,  jicaches  attain  a  siz(!  and  per- 
fection of  tlavour  not  to  he  surpassetl  in  all  America.  In  Xiai^ara  town,  \vh<'re  in  the 
severest  winters  tlu;  th(Tmometer  has  nexcr  heiMi  known  to  fall  more  than  three 
degrees  helow  zero,  hi;-trees  grow  in  the  opi'U  air  and  hear  two  crops  in  the 
season,  one  in  Jul\'  aiul  one  early  in  autumn.  The  tn-i^s  arc  kept  short  by  cutting 
hack  to  about  six  feet  in  height,  anil  preserxeil  from  frost  ol  winter  1)\"  bc'ing  laid  down 
close  to  the  ground  in  autumn  and  covered  with  a  few  inches  ol  cirth.  Under  similar 
treatment  the  most  delicate  grapes.  Black  Hamburg,  Chasselas  and  Muscat  do 
well,    and   produce  splendid    bunches    every    year.      These   lender  fruits,  which  wither  at 


1 98 


PlCTURliSQLJH   SPO TS 


(n. 


ili^ 


the  slijfhtest  toiicli  of  frost,  need  exceptional  care  ami  culture,  but  less  delicate 
varieties  of  jjrapes,  and  the  finest  peaches  only  recjuire  to  he  kept  free  from  weeds 
by  frequent  plou^hiii},^  be-tween  the  rows  to  jrrow  as  readily  and  luxuriantly  as 
apples  and  currants  in  less  favoured  localities.  The  situation  of  the  Niagara  pen- 
insula gives  it  peculiar  advantages  for  peach  culture  ;  th(!  large;  bodies  of  water  by 
which  it  is  surrounded  protecting  it  from  that  extreme  cold,  wliich  is  fat  i'  to  the 
peach,  and  from  the  injurious  effects  of  c;arly  frosts  in  autumn  ami  late  frosts  in 
spring.  A  "cold  spell"  is  scarcely  ever  felt  till  after  Christmas,  and  when  it  comes 
seldom  lasts  more  than  a  couple  of  days  at  a  time.  I{xtremely  mild  winters — quite 
as  mild  as  in  New  York — are  the  general  rule,  and  in  the  severest  weather  known 
the  temperature  has  never  been  lower  in  any  pari  of  tlie  peninsula  tiian  six  degrees 
below   zero. 

It  has  been  roughly  calculated  that  one  thousand  five  hundred  acres  are  under  cul- 
tivation as  peach-orchards  in  the  Niagara  district,  the  numl)er  of  the  trees  being  three 
hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand,  and  their  produce  a  million  baskets  of  fruit  annually, 
Niagara,  Stamford    and   (Irimsby  are    the    chief    peach-growing    townships.      Every  farm 


V 


OI.U     ACQUKUUCr     AT     WK.LI.AND 


OF   THE  NORTir 


199 


has  a  peach-orchard  ;  orchards  of  two  thousand  trees  are  common,  anil  every  year  new 
orchards  are  planted  and  the  yield  increases.  In  Stamford  there  is  a  peach-orchard  of 
eleven  thousand  trees,  and  three  years  after  being  transplanted  they  hore  twenty 
thousand  baskets  of  peaches.  The  Crawford  peaches  grow  here  to  an  enormous  size, 
measuring  from  nine  to  nearly  twelve  inches  in  circumference  ;  they  have  an  ex- 
quisite flavour  and  fragrance,  at  once  sweet,  piquant,  and  aromatic,  with  a  rich  mellow 
pulp,  overllowing  with  juice;  and  the  trees  bear  so  abundantly  that,  with  every 
precaution,  the  branches  often  break  down  under  their  heavy  load  of  fruit.  Peach- 
trees  generally  grow  about  fifteen  feet  high  in  the  orchards,  and  are  planted  in  rows 
eighteen  feet  apart  ;  tluMr  wide-spreading  branches,  and  slender,  shining  leaves  touching 
each  other  across  the  dividing  spaces.  The  beauty  of  those  peach-orchards,  when  the 
trees  are  bending  down  beneath  the  weight  of  their  lovely  globes  of  pink  and  white 
and  golden-tinted  fruit,  recalls  the  fabled  gardens  of  the  I  fesperides ;  but  there  is  no 
dangerous  dragon  to  watch  them,  and  seldom  or  never  any  need  for  a  guardian. 
Peaches  are  so  plentiful  in  this  favoured  spot  of  earth  that  there  is  little  temptation  to 
steal  them,  am!  if  the  schoolboys  who  pass  where  the  trees  grow  close  to  the  road, 
and  the  fruit  hangs  within  their  reach,  climb  the  wooden  fence  and  snatch  a  few  now 
and  then,  it  is  looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  such  depredations  are 
never  noticed.  And  truly,  to  see  these  sun-painted  peaches  ripe  ,uid  glowing  through 
their  glistening  foliage,  within  the  grasp  of  an  outstretched  hand,  is  enough  to  make 
the    most    venerable    of    stoics    act    upon     Dean    Swift's    injunction — 


"  Always  pull  a  peach 

When  it  is  witliiii  vour  reach." 


The  peach  harvest  begins  towards  the  end  of  July  and  continues  to  the  middle  of 
October.  Men  and  women  gather  the  ripe  fruit  into  baskets  carried  on  the  arm  ;  chil- 
dren are  not  employed,  as  the  peaches  recpiire  careful  handling.  The  baskets,  when 
filled,  are  taken  to  sheds  prepared  for  the  purpose,  where  women  pick  out  all  damaged 
fruit  and  cover  the  baskets  with  coarse  pink  gauze.  They  are  then  sent  in  wagons 
to  the  nearest  railway  station,  where  a  "peach  car"  is  always  provided,  in  which  they 
are  despatched  to  their  destination.  Every  day  the  platforms  at  the  stations  are 
crowded  with  piles  of  pink-covered  peach  baskets,  in  waiting  for  the  trains  which  are 
to  carry  them  to  all  the  large  towns  in  the  Dominion— Halifax  and  St.  John's  included. 
The  demand  for  this  delicious  fruit  far  exceeds  the  supply,  and  early  in  the  season 
baskets  of  twelve  quarts  bring  two  dollars  each,  the  price  gradually  falling  to  seventy- 
five,  or  even  sixty  cents  a  basket,  till  later  in  the  season,  when  peaches  begin  to  get 
scarce,  and    the    price    rises    again.      The    baskets    in  which    they  are    packed    furnish    a 


300 


PIC rURESQl'li  SPO TS 


Till-;     1  Rll  r     llAKVI  ST. 


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301 


302 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


m 


ning  factories  have  been  established  in  the  district  and  at  Toronto,  which  are  doing  a 
considerable  trade,  domestic  and  foreign. 

Grapes  are  cultivated  in  this  region  to  a  large  extent,  and  clusters  a  foot  long, 
each  grape  measuring  from  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  an  inch  in  diameter,  are  frequently 
produced.  The  crop  never  fails,  and  four,  five,  and  even  si.x  tons  to  the  acre  are 
raised.  They  bring  from  ten  to  five  cents  a  pound,  and  are  sent  by  rail  to  St.  Catha- 
rines, Toronto,  and  other  towns,  packed  in  baskets  like  those  used  in  shipping  peaches, 
only  covered  with  blue  instead  of  pink  gauze.  Many  of  the  farmers  make  excellent 
wine,  and  one  near  Niagara  sometimes  manufactures  from  six  to  eight  hundred  gallons 
from  the  Clinton  grape.  There  is  also  an  establishment  at  St.  Catharines,  provided 
with  proper  cellars,  vats,  and  all  necessary  apparatus,  and  with  a  vineyard  of  fifty 
acres  to  supply  the  grapes. 

Niagara  district  has  always  been  famous  for  its  apple-orchards,  but  now  that 
peaches  and  grapes  grow  in  such  profusion,  and  every  farmer's  wife  lays  in  a 
supply  of  canned  fruit  for  winter  use,  apples  are  rather  thrown  into  the  background. 
Yet  nothing  can  really  take  their  place,  and  in  spring,  when  other  fruits  are  not  to  be 
had,  well-kept  winter  apples  become  valuable.  Large  quantit'es  are  barrelled  and 
shipped  to  Liverpool,  where  Niagara  apples  command  the  highest  prices.  The  pouitnc 
grise,  a  small  russet,  celebrated  for  its  aromatic  flavour  an'd  mellow  pulp,  grows  nowhere 
to  such  perfection  as  on  the  Niagara  River.  Cider,  of  course,  is  made  by  every  farmer, 
and  the  fruit  of  the  ungrafted  native  trees,  judiciously  mixed  with  the  richer  cultivated 
varieties,  has  a  piquant  flavour  and  brilliant  sparkle,  not  often  surpassed.  Pear-trees 
produce  enormous  crops,  sometimes  having  I'rom  ten  to  twenty  bushels  on  a  single 
trde.  Eiiglish  cherries  grow  to  a  grea*:  size,  and  the  trees  are  often  literally  bent 
down  under  their  heavy  loads  of  fruit.  All  small  fruits  are  exceptionally  fine  and 
rich  in  flavour ;  strawberries,  especially,  yield  abundantly,  and  are  largely  and 
profitably  cultivated  for  market.  Hickory-nuts,  butternuts,  and  sweet  chestnuts  are 
plentiful,  and,  in  some  places,  walnuts  are  still  to  be  had  for  the  gathering,  the  trees 
being  great  bearers. 

Seen  from  some  little  hill  or  rising  ground,  the  lovely  land  seems  everywhere 
to  smile  under  rich  orchards  and  fruit  gardens,  intermixed  with  fields  of  luxuriant 
wheat,  Indian  corn,  and  blossoming  clover,  relieved  by  the  darker  green  foliage  of  the 
remnants  of  the  grand  old  woods  here  and  there  bordering  the  farms.  Above  this 
bright  landscape  rise  well-built  and  often  neat  and  tasteful  farm-houses  with  spacious 
barns  and  other  farm-buildings.  Thickly  interspersed  are  villages,  forming  sources 
of    communication    with    the    outside     vorld    to    their    surrounding    areas. 

Some  of  these  villages  are  charmingly  picturesque  and  rich  in  historical  asso- 
ciations. Oueenston,  lying  on  the  Niagara  River  under  the  heights,  has  been  already 
described.        Sr.    David's,    two    miles    west    of     Queenston,     had    its    full    share    in    the 


OF   THE  NORTH 


203 


that 


bent 
and 
and 


War  of  18 1 2,  and  was  burned  down  by  the  invaders.  It  Hes  in  a  ravine  of  the 
mountain  beside  a  never-failing^  stream,  which  suppHes  water-power  to  a  brewery  and 
two  flour  mills.  The  soil  in  the  ravine  is  of  the  richest  black  mould,  and  it  can 
boast  of  some  beautiful  walnut  trees— lordly  trees,  now,  alas,  becoming  rare  in  the 
land  where  they  once  grew  in  magnificent  battalions.  St.  David's  did  not  receive 
its  name  in  honour  of  Welsh,  or  Scottisli,  or  any  other  canonized  saint,  but  simply  in 
compliment  to  one  of  its  most  enterprising  citizens  who,  while  he  lived,  was  locally 
known  as  King  David. 

A  mile  or  two  farther  west  is  Stamford,  next  to  Niagara  the  oldest  settlement 
in  the  district.  It  is  one  of  the  prettiest  villages  in  Canada,  with  a  quaint  Old-World 
charm  about  it  not  often  met  with  in  this  New  World.  It  has  a  Village  Green  in  old 
English  style,  with  a  lofty  flag-staff  in  the  centre,  on  which  the  British  and  Canadian 
flags  are  hoisted  on  great  occasions,  such  as  the  Queen's  Birthday  and  Dominion  Day. 
The  village  is  shaded  by  locust-trees  and  maples,  and  surrounding  the  Green  are 
pretty  houses  with  flower-gardens,  and  lawns  planted  with  trees  and  shrubs.  Almost 
every  cottage  has  a  flower-garden  in  front,  with  climbing  roses  and  blossoming  creepers 
twining  round  the  verandas.  The  little  Episcopal  Church  has  a  beautiful  and 
venerable  aspect  of  antique  simplicity,  rising  from  its  sheltering  pines.  Its  surround- 
ing grave-yard  is  enclosed,  partly  b)-  a  hedge  of  clipped  privet,  and  partly  by  a  wooden 
fence  overhung  by  drooping  trees.  Plain  as  the  building  otherwise  is,  all  its  windows 
are  of  stained  glass,  erected  by  members  of  the  congregation  in  memory  of  their 
beloved  dead.  The  churchyard  is  kept  with  loving  care,  and  round  the  tombstones, 
and  beside  the  graves,  roses  twine  their  blossoms,  and  trailing  evergreens  cover  the 
narrow    mounds  with  unfadinof  verdure. 

Sir  Peregrine  Maitland,  who  was  Governor  of  Upper  Canada  from  18 18  to  1828, 
was  so  delighted  with  the  Stamford  neighbourhood  that  he  bought  land  near  the  vil- 
lage, laid  out  a  park  and  ])leasu re-ground,  and  built  a  picturesque  house ;  spending 
every  summer  there  while  he  remained  in  Canada.  After  he  left  the  country  the 
house  was  accidentally  burned  down,  and  scarcely  a  trace  now  remains  of  the  lawns, 
flower-gardens,  and  highly-cultivated  farm.  The  place  still  retains  its  name  of  Stam- 
ford Park,  and  Sir  Peregrine  is  well  remembered  by  the  older  inhabitants  of  tiie  district 
for  his  enthusiastic  admiration  of  the  surroundii.g  scenery,  his  genial  and  benevolent 
character,  and  the  interest  he  took  in  the  progress  of  the  Welland  Canal.  To  his 
military  instincts  we  owe  the  circumstance  that  the  Canal  was  not  deflected  into  the 
estuary  of  the  Niagara  instead  of  entering  Lake  Ontario  at  Port  Dalhousie.  In  our 
early  history,  military  rather  than  commercial  considerations  governed  the  direction  of 
highways  and  canals,  and  the  "  manifest  destiny  "  of  aml)itious  towns  was  thus  some- 
times cruelly  frustrated.  When,  under  Jay's  Treaty,  in  1794,  Fort  Niagara  was  actually 
surrendered    to    the   United    States,  its  vis-d-vis,   Newark,  was,  by  a    stroke  of  the  diplo- 


204 


PICTURESQUE  SPOTS 


matist's  pen,  brought  under  the  fire  of  foreign  guns.  Governor  Simcoe,  as  we  have 
already  mentioned,  forthwith  transported  his  provincial  capital  across  the  lake  to 
York  (Toronto).  Even  there,  Simcoe  thought  the  capital  too  accessible  to  a  hostile 
squadron;  and  as>  soon  as  his  great  military  highway — Dundas  Street — should  have 
been  opened,  he  proposed  to  make  London — or,  as  he  called  it,  Georgina — the  per- 
manent capital  of  Upper  Canada.  Old  Newark  had  felt  deepl)-  hurt  at  being  deposed 
from  its  pride  of  place;  but  whe;^  the  Welland  Canal  was  projected  there  came  a 
gleam  of  hope.  As  the  gateway  to  the  new  Canal,  it  migiit  become  the  great  cntrcpdt 
of  lake  commerce !  But  once  more  a  major-general  governed  the  Province,  and 
military  maxims  warped  civil  government  and  civil  engineering.  Sir  Peregrine  had 
spent  the  flower  of  his  life  amid  the  clash  of  sabres  and  the  roar  of  cannon.  He 
had  been  continuously  on  active  service  for  more  than  a  score  of  years,  rounding 
off  a  brilliant  career  by  leading  at  Waterloo  two  battalions  of  guards  into  the  very 
eye  of  the  fiery  tempest.  The  Forty  Years'  Peace  had  begun,  and  Sir  Peregrine 
had  put  off  the  sword,  but  he  could  not  put  off  the  man.  To  him  a  canal  was 
the  patrol  or  parade-ground  for  gunboats,  rather  than  a  quiet  channel  for  merchantmen. 

Grimsby  village  is  picturesquely  situated  between  the  lake  c»nd  "  the  mountain." 
The  first  settlers  were  U.  E.  Loyalists,  who  preferred  to  encounter  the  labours 
of  clearing  new  homes  out  of  the  unbroken  forest  to  giving  up  their  cherished  tradi- 
tions of  loyalty  to  the  Empire.  Slowly  and  painfully,  with  their  wives  and  children, 
on  foot  or  on  horseback,  they  made  their  way  through  the  woods,  guided  in  their 
course  by  the  Indian  trails ;  and  many  interesting  records  of  the  perils  and  hardships 
they  encountered  in  these  toilsome  journeys,  and  the  sufferings  and  privations  they 
endured  in  the  first  years  of  the  settlement  are  preserved  by  their  descendants.  One 
of  these  brave  pioneers  brought  his  two  little  children  from  New  Jersey  to  Grimsby  in 
baskets  slung  across  a  horse's  back,  the  mother  riding  between.  The  same  family 
sent  a  member  to  the  first  Parliament  of  Upper  Canada,  and  from  it  some  of 
the  foremost  agriculturists  and  stock-raisers  in  the  district  are  descended.  There  are 
many  "  creeks,"  or  small  streams,  in  the  township,  the  largest  of  which,  called  the 
Jordan  by  the  pioneers,  was  known  by  the  Indians  as  the  Kcnochdaw,  or  lead  river, 
from  the  lead  ore  found  on  its  banks,  and  often  used  by  the  hunters,  both  Indian  and 
white  men,  to  make  bullets  for  their  rifles 

Grimsby  is  an  active  place  of  business,  with  saw  mills,  grist  mills,  a  foundry  and 
machine  works.  The  land  round  the  village  is  literally  covered  with  peach  orchards, 
their  masses  of  pink  blossoms  flushing  all  the  landscape  with  a  roseate  hue  in  spring, 
and  their  shining  stems  and  bunches  glowing  ruby  red  in  the  sunset  of  a  clear  winter 
day.  Its  large  Methodist  camp-meeting  ground,  in  a  grove  of  oaks  and  pines  near  the 
lake  shore,  is  celebrated  over  the  Province.  An  auditorium  has  been  erected  and 
part    of    the   ground    laid    out    with    shady   walks    and    flower-gardens ;    and    temperance 


OF   THE  NORTH 


205 


pic-nics,  and  Sunday-school  feasts,  with  lectures  and  concerts  for  religious  purposes, 
are  given  through  the  summer.  Besides  these  popular  attractions,  the  delightful 
situation  of  the  village  and  its  nearness  to  Lake  Ontario,  bring  many  tourists  in  the 
hot  months,  and  a  large  hotel  and  some  neat  cottages  have  been  built  for  their 
accommodation. 

The  village  of  Fonthill  is  built  on  the  highest  land  between  Lakes  Ontario  and 
Erie,  and  from  it  on  clear  days  the  waters  of  both  lakes  and  the  vessels  passing  over 
them  can  be  seen,  with  all  the  rich  and  lovely  country,  intersected  with  rivers,  rail- 
roads and  the  Welland  Canal,  lying  between.  It  is  famous  in  the  district  for  its  ex- 
tensive  fruit  nurseries,    and    for   the    romantic    scenery    which    surrounds  it. 

Everywhere  in  this  fortunate  region  the  evidences  of  energy,  industry  and  pros- 
perity are  to  be  seen  ;  every  year  new  orchards  and  vineyards  are  planted,  new 
buildings  erected,  new  industrial  works  established.  Here  all  the  conditions  of  a  happy 
existence  are  widely  diffused  and  easily  attained.  The  bountiful  soil  supplies  not  only 
the  necessaries  but  the  luxuries  of  life  ;  and  no  violent  extremes  of  cold  or  heat,  no 
desolating  floods  or  tornados,  come  to  destroy  the  labours  of  its  inhabitants  or  mar 
its    beauty — 

"Rent  by  no  ravige,  but  the  gentle  plough." 


And  the  owners-  of  this  beautiful  land  are  not  unworthy  to  possess  it ;  they  are  a 
manly,  industrious,  independent,  and  highly  moral  people ;  respecting  the  laws,  and 
taking  an  intelligent  interest  in  all  that  concerns  the  nation,  as  well  as  in  their  own 
municipal  affairs;  and  all  firmly  holding  by  the  faith  and  traditions  of  their  brave 
and  patriotic  forefathers,  who    first  founded  a  new  Province  for  the  British   Empire. 


